Wigan girl who was given days to live at birth enjoys her first day at school

A Wigan youngster, whom doctors said would never make it home from the hospital alive after she was born, is celebrating her first week at primary school.
Lexi-Mae on her first day of schoolLexi-Mae on her first day of school
Lexi-Mae on her first day of school

Lexi-Mae Brown was deemed “incompatible with life” after being born with a rare genetic condition.

The five-year-old from Spring View suffers with Edwards Syndrome, also known as Trisomy 18, which causes a large range of issues including growth deficiency, feeding difficulties and heart defects.

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Little Lexi-Mae, who had a hole in her heart up until surgery last November, was so poorly when she was born that doctors told mum Lyndsey Galvin that she would not survive for two weeks.

Lexi-Mae wasn't expected to make it home from hospital when she was bornLexi-Mae wasn't expected to make it home from hospital when she was born
Lexi-Mae wasn't expected to make it home from hospital when she was born

But this week the little girl reached an incredible milestone as she set off for her first day at Hope School in Marus Bridge.

“I’m so proud of her,” said mum-of-two Lyndsey.

“When she was born the doctors told us that she wouldn’t do anything.

“For me, I was always waiting for something to happen and always expecting the worst.

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“But now, she’s at school and she really does love going. She’s finding it amazing and is so happy there.”

In preparation for primary school, Lexi-Mae has attended nursery for the past two years for two hours a day four days a week.

“I didn’t want to not be with her,” added Lyndsey, 41. “Because she’s at school age now it’s compulsory, she has to go.

“It’s going so well though, she’s got herself a job. She’s the register monitor. She can’t speak so she presses the button which asks if Lexi-Mae can have the register.

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“She doesn’t wear a uniform because they don’t make them small enough for her. She’s only in size 12 to 18-month clothes even though you can’t tell how tiny she is in pictures.

“She is shattered after full days there. She’s proper lazy and has been having to get up instead of lying in until 11am.

“They have been cooking and painting. She comes home covered in paint.”

Lyndsey has praised Hope School for the “amazing” way in which they have helped Lexi-Mae transition into full-time education.

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“We were all crying on her first day,” she said. “I was crying, grandad was crying, everyone was crying letting her go.

“The school has been amazing though, they treat her like their own, I couldn’t be any happier with them. They are really good with her and she loves them as much as they love her.”

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