An adorable young girl with a rare genetic condition has gone viral on social media after recording cute dance routines with her nurses.
Penny Barraclough’s incredible moves and bubbly personality have had millions watching her Tik Tok clips – as she undergoes a bone marrow stem cell transplant in hospital.
The six-year-old was diagnosed with congenital amegakaryocytic thrombocytopenia (CAMT), which left her bruising ‘from head to toe’ and prevented her blood from clotting properly.
And after he suffered bone marrow failure, doctors first gave him chemotherapy before he underwent a transplant at Sheffield Children’s Hospital in September.
But the intrepid Penny didn’t let the dangerous illness spoil her fun during her six weeks on the ward, and instead recorded videos that won her admirers from as far away as Australia.
And one of her clips, where she performed an eye-catching routine with a nurse, even racked up nearly eight million views on the social media app.
Penny’s mother, Jodie Mangham, 30, who helped her record the videos, said the cheeky little girl had turned a “heartbreaking” situation into a “positive” one.
She said: “Doing this brought so much joy. She ended up finding herself in a heartbreaking situation and turning it into something positive.
“She got all the nurses in the hospital involved, and it ended up going viral – everyone fell in love with her.
“People from America, Australia, Scotland and many other places around the world sent photos, and some sent gifts.
“All these people are strangers to us, but it helped because it was a very, very difficult time.”
Little Penny added: “I love making the videos. They make me happy, and it’s amazing that people see them all over the world.
Full-time mum-of-two, Jodie, from Wakefield, West Yorks., Said Penny first fell ill three years ago after doctors discovered she had low blood platelets .
And during that time, she ended up with dozens of bruises from small bumps because her blood vessels weren’t able to clot properly.
Penny went to hospital on September 6 this year after a biopsy showed her bone marrow was failing and further tests revealed she had CAMT, a rare inherited condition.
But throughout the six weeks she spent in her hospital room, she started making videos. And it wasn’t long before her contagious joy spread to people all over the world.
Jodie said: “During that time in the hospital, we just thought we were going on TikTok, just because she was in that room for six weeks. The days were really long.
“So we made the videos that brought her a lot of joy and kept her active. And then my partner shared them on Twitter, and it went viral.
“Then she involved her nurse and her teacher at the hospital and continued on TikTok, and it ended up going viral as well – and everyone fell in love with her.
“Even on bad days, when she couldn’t get out of bed, she could still try to do a TikTok. She just had so much joy getting everyone involved.
Penny’s TikTok account soared to new heights when a clip she made with a nurse
to the sound of Sasique’s “Kute and Neat” received 7.9 million views.
And Jodie said other hospital staff were only too happy to get involved in creating the adorable footage, which made the sick little girl so happy.
Jodie said: “She did one with a nurse, taking photos but as a video, and it ended up having just under 8 million views – and that’s when many subscribers arrived.”
“I was going down to get some fresh air and coming back up, and she had three nurses doing TikTok with her.
“Penny fell in love with all the staff, and they all made this experience so much brighter. They came to get involved with her because they knew it made her happy.”
Fans and brands around the world have since reached out to Penny, sending her gifts and messages of support from as far away as Australia.
Jodie said: “People sent headbands because she lost her hair, and some people sent Polly Pockets and different little sand bobs which she loves.
“Weetabix even sent her a personalized box with her name on it, which was really, really nice.”
Penny was finally allowed to go home in early November and thankfully Jodie said the procedure left her looking like a ‘new girl’.
But she also said Penny – who can’t mingle with others for months while her immune system recovers – misses the fun of dancing with hospital staff.
Jodie said: “It’s like she’s a new girl. She looks so healthy, even though she has no immunity.
“But since she’s been home she’s said she misses the nurses. Now we’re home, it’s just Penny and me.”
Jodie said she was extremely grateful to her family and friends who supported her and raised funds to help care for her Penny during the three years of her illness.
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