By . Emma Innes . A child survived her heart stopping four times in 45 minutes after she suffered a rare reaction to a sore throat - and blew-up ‘like Violet from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’. Five-year-old Ava Mear ‘swelled like a blueberry’ and was diagnosed with a rare reaction to the sore throat bacteria Strep A. The reaction caused her heart to fail three times in quick succession as the infection took hold of her body. Ava Mear suffered four heart attacks after having a severe reaction to the sore throat bacterium . Medics warned her parents to say their last goodbyes because they feared she would not survive another resuscitation. But miraculously she survived a her heart stopping for a fourth time in 45 minutes after doctors hooked her up to an artificial lung and heart machine. The machine oxygenated her blood and pumped it round her frail body, bypassing the heart, while dialysis cleansed her blood of toxins. Ava developed a rash which spread across her body turning her purple and fluids being pumped through her body to clear her of infection made her balloon in size. Amazingly, Ava pulled through and the rash turned from purple to red before fading completely. Delighted parents Clive and Mary-Jane Mear, who also have a ten-year-old-son called Alfie, say after ten weeks in hospital she is now recovering well. Ava was rushed to hospital after her parents noticed she was breathing heavily and had developed a rash . She was transferred to Great Ormond Street and within an hour of arriving she had her first heart attack . Mr Mear, 44, said: ‘She was breathing heavily so we took her to the local hospital at about 11pm. We’re so glad we did that. ‘She was rushed straight to Great Ormond Street Hospital and within an hour of her being there had her first heart attack. ‘After her third heart attack a surgeon told us about a risky procedure they could try. ‘I just cut him off. I said “do it, do it now - I’ll sign whatever forms I need to later”. ‘If she had been at any other hospital which hadn’t had the ability to bypass her heart she wouldn’t be here now. My wife was like mush in my arms. ‘All that was going through our heads was how we were going to tell Alfie that one day he had a perfectly healthy sister and the next day she’d gone to hospital and died. Ava had four heart attacks within 45 minutes and doctors told her parents to say goodbye . Ava (pictured recovering in hospital) was saved by medics who put her on an artificial heart and lung machine . ‘You are numb, it is like you are on rails on a journey, you are in a process and you have to keep going. ‘When people say to me I don’t know how you coped - I say ‘you just do because you have to’. ‘She looked like Violet from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, bless her. She was purple from head to toe. She’s our little miracle.’ Ava suddenly fell ill and on January 27 was repeatedly getting up in the night. Mr and Mrs Mear rushed her to Luton and Dunstable Hospital, Bedfordshire, after they realised she was heavily breathing and noticed a small rash. Doctors knew the rash was a bad sign and transferred her to Great Ormond Street Hospital overnight. Ava has been in hospital for three months but has moved from Great Ormond Street to her local hospital . There she was diagnosed with a toxic shock reaction to Strep A - a common bacterium which normally causes sore throats. The infection caused Ava’s body to shut down and she has been left with movement problems after he limbs were affected by a lack of circulation. Ava also suffers from a condition called cerebro-costo-mandibular Syndrome. It is a genetic condition which affects the ribs structure, meaning Ava has no ribs on the front of her body and her ribs aren’t attached to her spine. She was also born with a large cleft palate, which has since been fixed and has a recessed bottom jaw. Although the condition is unrelated to the infection, it meant Great Ormond Street doctors knew Ava’s medical history inside out and were able to efficiently treat her. Ava (pictured in hospital) is slowly recovering but it is not yet clear if she will make a full recovery . Ava underwent a tracheotomy and has this week been moved back to Luton and Dunstable Hospital for physiotherapy and rehabilitation. Mr Mear, a photographer, sad: ‘We really don’t know the prognosis, it depends on how she reacts to physio but we have a child, we have Ava - it doesn’t matter what’s wrong with her, at least she’s here.’ A Great Ormond Street spokesman said: ‘Ava is the only Group A streptococcal case who has gone on to develop toxic shock requiring ECMO at the hospital in the last two years.’ Strep A bacteria is often found on the skin and throat and minor infections are common in adults and children. It only poses a potentially serious threat to health if it penetrates deeper inside the tissues or organs. Ava was born with a cleft palate and a recessed jaw as well as rib abnormalities . The family, from Caddington, Bedfordshire, are now trying to raise £80,000 to buy two moreECMO machines for the hospital. A group of parents will be running 50km from Caddington village green to the doors of Great Ormond Street on Sunday, May 18. ECMO machines, which are used to treat a number of conditions, are similar to the heart-lung bypass machine used for open heart surgery. The technology was first used successfully in the USA in 1976 and introduced into the UK in 1989. Great Ormond Street Hospital is one of three centres in England and Wales with an ECMO machine.To donate visit www.justgiving.com/avas-ecmo-challenge .
Ava Mear was rushed to hospital when she started breathing heavily .
Doctors at the local hospital transferred her to Great Ormond Street .
Within an hour of arriving, her heart had stopped .
Stopped three more times in 45 mins and doctors thought she would die .
She was only saved by being placed on a heart and lung machine .
She is still in hospital three months later but is slowly recovering .
By . Emma Innes . A child survived her heart stopping four times in 45 minutes after she suffered a rare reaction to a sore throat - and blew-up ‘like Violet from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’. Five-year-old Ava Mear ‘swelled like a blueberry’ and was diagnosed with a rare reaction to the sore throat bacteria Strep A. The reaction caused her heart to fail three times in quick succession as the infection took hold of her body. Ava Mear suffered four heart attacks after having a severe reaction to the sore throat bacterium . Medics warned her parents to say their last goodbyes because they feared she would not survive another resuscitation. But miraculously she survived a her heart stopping for a fourth time in 45 minutes after doctors hooked her up to an artificial lung and heart machine. The machine oxygenated her blood and pumped it round her frail body, bypassing the heart, while dialysis cleansed her blood of toxins. Ava developed a rash which spread across her body turning her purple and fluids being pumped through her body to clear her of infection made her balloon in size. Amazingly, Ava pulled through and the rash turned from purple to red before fading completely. Delighted parents Clive and Mary-Jane Mear, who also have a ten-year-old-son called Alfie, say after ten weeks in hospital she is now recovering well. Ava was rushed to hospital after her parents noticed she was breathing heavily and had developed a rash . She was transferred to Great Ormond Street and within an hour of arriving she had her first heart attack . Mr Mear, 44, said: ‘She was breathing heavily so we took her to the local hospital at about 11pm. We’re so glad we did that. ‘She was rushed straight to Great Ormond Street Hospital and within an hour of her being there had her first heart attack. ‘After her third heart attack a surgeon told us about a risky procedure they could try. ‘I just cut him off. I said “do it, do it now - I’ll sign whatever forms I need to later”. ‘If she had been at any other hospital which hadn’t had the ability to bypass her heart she wouldn’t be here now. My wife was like mush in my arms. ‘All that was going through our heads was how we were going to tell Alfie that one day he had a perfectly healthy sister and the next day she’d gone to hospital and died. Ava had four heart attacks within 45 minutes and doctors told her parents to say goodbye . Ava (pictured recovering in hospital) was saved by medics who put her on an artificial heart and lung machine . ‘You are numb, it is like you are on rails on a journey, you are in a process and you have to keep going. ‘When people say to me I don’t know how you coped - I say ‘you just do because you have to’. ‘She looked like Violet from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, bless her. She was purple from head to toe. She’s our little miracle.’ Ava suddenly fell ill and on January 27 was repeatedly getting up in the night. Mr and Mrs Mear rushed her to Luton and Dunstable Hospital, Bedfordshire, after they realised she was heavily breathing and noticed a small rash. Doctors knew the rash was a bad sign and transferred her to Great Ormond Street Hospital overnight. Ava has been in hospital for three months but has moved from Great Ormond Street to her local hospital . There she was diagnosed with a toxic shock reaction to Strep A - a common bacterium which normally causes sore throats. The infection caused Ava’s body to shut down and she has been left with movement problems after he limbs were affected by a lack of circulation. Ava also suffers from a condition called cerebro-costo-mandibular Syndrome. It is a genetic condition which affects the ribs structure, meaning Ava has no ribs on the front of her body and her ribs aren’t attached to her spine. She was also born with a large cleft palate, which has since been fixed and has a recessed bottom jaw. Although the condition is unrelated to the infection, it meant Great Ormond Street doctors knew Ava’s medical history inside out and were able to efficiently treat her. Ava (pictured in hospital) is slowly recovering but it is not yet clear if she will make a full recovery . Ava underwent a tracheotomy and has this week been moved back to Luton and Dunstable Hospital for physiotherapy and rehabilitation. Mr Mear, a photographer, sad: ‘We really don’t know the prognosis, it depends on how she reacts to physio but we have a child, we have Ava - it doesn’t matter what’s wrong with her, at least she’s here.’ A Great Ormond Street spokesman said: ‘Ava is the only Group A streptococcal case who has gone on to develop toxic shock requiring ECMO at the hospital in the last two years.’ Strep A bacteria is often found on the skin and throat and minor infections are common in adults and children. It only poses a potentially serious threat to health if it penetrates deeper inside the tissues or organs. Ava was born with a cleft palate and a recessed jaw as well as rib abnormalities . The family, from Caddington, Bedfordshire, are now trying to raise £80,000 to buy two moreECMO machines for the hospital. A group of parents will be running 50km from Caddington village green to the doors of Great Ormond Street on Sunday, May 18. ECMO machines, which are used to treat a number of conditions, are similar to the heart-lung bypass machine used for open heart surgery. The technology was first used successfully in the USA in 1976 and introduced into the UK in 1989. Great Ormond Street Hospital is one of three centres in England and Wales with an ECMO machine.To donate visit www.justgiving.com/avas-ecmo-challenge .
stopping four times in 45 minutes after she Chocolate Factory’. Five-year-old Ava Mear was rushed to hospital after her parents noticed rash . She was transferred to Great Ormond Street and within an hour of arriving she had her first breathing heavily so we took her to the local within 45 minutes and doctors told her parents to hospital) was saved by medics who put her on an artificial heart and lung machine . ‘You are and transferred her to Great Ormond Street three months but has moved from Great Ormond (pictured in hospital) is slowly recovering but