A seven-year-old girl who was left in a coma on life support has made almost a full recovery, less than two months after being hit by a car on a busy Caerphilly road.
Miley Fletcher, from Mornington Meadows, was playing with friends on Sunday, July 2, when she got frightened after someone shouted there was a ‘killer clown’ on the loose.
She ran across the Lansbury Park link road in a panic and was struck by a car.
The accident left her with severe injuries with her life in the balance, but amazingly she has bounced back and was discharged from hospital after just 54 days.
Her grandmother Carol has described her recovery as “a miracle”.
She said: “We had zero expectations of her coming out of hospital.
“All of her brain was damaged and they couldn’t take her off life support.
“They had to drill a hole in her skull to put a probe in so they could measure the pressure inside.
“Nobody could tell me anything I wanted to know. What were her chances? How long would she would be in hospital?
“She was on life support in a coma for ten days.”
In the immediate aftermath of the accident, specialist doctors were flown to Caerphilly by the Wales Air Ambulance.
However, so severe were Miley’s injuries, they all needed to go with her and could not all travel in the air ambulance.
She was taken by road ambulance to Cardiff’s University Hospital Wales.
Carol recalled: “I knew she was gone. I watched the lights go out and I just knew – so her recovery is a miracle.”
Football fan Miley has been inundated with support, presents and cards from her classmates and teachers at St James Primary School.
The Mornington Meadows Community Group raised £1,200 with a charity barbecue and family day held just days after the accident.
As a thank you to the community for all the support they received, Miley’s grandmother Carol, grandfather Ray and her two siblings held a party for everyone at Rascals softplay on Bedwas House Industrial Estate recently.
Carol, who together with husband Ray runs Caerphilly Bird Rescue, said she had received kindness and donations from a wide variety of people – including complete strangers who have been keeping up-to-date with Miley’s progress via Carol’s Facebook posts.
She added: “I just want to thank the people of Mornington Meadows, Miley’s school, and everyone who has supported us through this.”