Taylor Swift concert a 'dream' for girl after hospital stay
She was diagnosed with a rare immune condition and needed a bone marrow transplant, being transferred from Liverpool's Alder Hey Children's Hospital in December 2023.
Originally treated at Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool, Keisha was transferred to Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary after a series of increasingly complex health issues, including repeated infections, bronchiectasis, and a T-cell immunodeficiency, which severely weakened her immune system.
She remained in Newcastle until June 2024.
Keisha (centre) with younger sister Lili Mai, dad Ross and mum Laura (Image: Laura Makin) The family, from Flint, more than 200 miles away from the hospital, faced the bleak prospect of being separated.
However, the Sick Children's Trust allowed mum Laura to stay at nearby Crawford House, a "home from home", where she would be just minutes away from her daughter's bedside.
Laura said: "Keisha's condition was far more serious than we initially realised.
"She needed intensive treatment and a bone marrow transplant – and we had no idea how long we'd be in Newcastle.
"Crawford House became a lifeline.
"Without it, I wouldn't have been able to stay with her through those terrifying months.
"I honestly don't know how we'd have coped."
Keisha spent Christmas and her 16th birthday in hospital, followed by a month in isolation while preparing for her transplant.
However, the nearby "home from home" allowed Laura to rest and cook meals nearby, just a stone's throw from the hospital.
Just weeks after leaving the hospital, Keisha was able to attend Taylor Swift's Eras tour concert at Anfield, something she had been "dreaming about" during her treatment.
Laura said: "We booked those tickets long before we knew she'd need a transplant.
"We didn't know if she'd be well enough, but she was determined to go.
"When her doctors signed her off for weekend leave, we were overjoyed.
"It was her first time seeing our dogs in six months, and the emotion of that, combined with the concert, was overwhelming.
"It felt like we were finally getting a piece of our lives back."
A delighted Keisha at Anfield for the Taylor Swift concert after doctors gave her the green light to attend (Image: Laura Makin) Keisha added: "Getting to see Taylor Swift after everything I'd been through felt like a dream.
"I still had a lot of challenges ahead, but just being able to leave hospital, be with my family, and do something normal made such a difference.
"Crawford House helped make that possible."
The Sick Children's Trust has been supporting families like Keisha's for more than 40 years, providing "homes from home" for parents with seriously ill children in the hospital.
The charity helps keep families together when they need it most.
Laura said: "Crawford House wasn't just a place to sleep – it gave us space to breathe.
"The Sick Children's Trust helped hold our family together during the hardest time of our lives.
"We will never forget what they did for us."
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