Parents reveal tragic decision to stop looking for a cure for their disabled toddler: ‘We want her to enjoy her last years’

Vilda, a three-year-old from Kungsbacka, Sweden, seems like any normal child of her age. Sadly, unlike her friends, Vilda will probably not grow up to reach adulthood - as she suffers from a set of conditions that mean she will be lucky to live till her teens.

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by Ellie Hooper |
Published on

She suffers from Down's syndrome, sleep apnae, a heart condition, and a lung disease called Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension.

So rare is this combination, that Vilda is the only person in the world known to have them all at the same time.

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The blonde was born with two holes in her heart, and when doctor's operated on her at 4-months-old, they discovered that she had PAH - a condition that simply shouldn't exist in a newborn child.

Her mother, Maria, says: 'I'll never forget that day. The crowd was quiet in the room and everyone started behaving strangely. The doctors called in their phones and surgeons came running. They walked out of the room but I could see them through the glass doors. It was like a bad movie.'

The rare condition causes blood pressure in the lungs to become abnormally high, meaning the heart must work harder - and this damages it.

Due to her other illnesses, it is impossible for doctors to decrease the pressure on her heart and lungs - but this means Vilda will not be able to live as long as other people.

'The doctors have said that if she stays healthy maybe she can get to experience life as a teenager' says her mother.

'We cannot grieve anymore. Now we can only rejoice over the years we will have with her.'

But Maria and her husband Anders have now given up hope of finding a treatment suitable for their daughter. They are now focused on giving Vilda the best possible life, while she can still live it.

'People say that we must continue to hope. But there's nothing that can help Vilda. We cannot grieve anymore. Now we can only rejoice over the years we will have with her.'

Maria adds: 'Vilda is my idol. She is a real fighter and although she is sad she continues to smile.

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