A young toddler put in an induced coma after a devastating fire has woken up.
Darren Young and Cara Lawtie were delighted to see their precious Ellie’s eyes open as doctors brought her round earlier today.
The 14-month-old was flown to hospital in Glasgow suffering from severe smoke inhalation following the fire, which has destroyed her family’s static caravan near Newmachar.
Her parents woke up on Monday night after her baby monitor started beeping and, realising their home was filled with smoke, managed to get out.
Mr Young suffered severe burns while trying to stop the fire from spreading.
He was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary for treatment, and raced down to the intensive care unit at the Royal Children’s Hospital to be with his fiance and daughter as soon as he was discharged.
Doctors had hoped to waken Ellie last night, but her throat and windpipe were still too inflamed.
They successfully managed to waken her this morning however, and she appears to be recovering well.
Farmer and contractor Mr Young said: “It was the best feeling ever to see her back and wide awake again. It was terrifying.
“Hopefully, she’s past the worst of it now and has a speedy recovery.”
The 38-year-old also received further treatment in the Glasgow hospital today for his burns.
‘It’s just amazing’
Their car which was parked in front of the caravan was destroyed in the flames, but Mr Young managed to prevent them from spreading to the shed where he stores his tractors and work tools.
But while they have been focused only on Ellie’s recovery, the Newmachar community has rallied round – raising more than £15,500 so far to help them build their lives back up.
Gemma Nicol, a friend of Miss Lawtie’s, set up the JustGiving page to help the family replace some of the items they lost in the blaze.
“It’s just amazing,” Mr Young said tonight. “We just can’t thank folk enough for what they’re doing.
“We’ll never be able to repay everyone for what they’ve done for us.”
The couple do not know when they will be able to travel back to Aberdeenshire as doctors want to keep an eye on Ellie.
They plan to stay with family who have organised clothes and toys for when they can leave the hospital.
Mr Young added: “It’ll be fine to get back up the road and get settled into a wee bit of a routine again before we decide what exactly we’re going to be doing.”
Donations can be made to support the fire fundraiser for the family HERE.
