TILLY: THE DOCS GOT IT WRONG

Tilly Merrell, from Borrowdale Drive, Warndon, Worcester, tucked into a burger with bacon, egg, cheese and ham followed by ice cream yesterday after doctors in California finally found out what was wrong with her - absolutely nothing.

It turns out the Warndon Junior School pupil who was diagnosed at one with the rare condition isolated bulbar palsy - so everything she swallowed went into her lungs - is actually perfectly normal.

Doctors in Britain had said it was unlikely she would ever recover and would have to wear a backpack with a food pump connected to her stomach for the rest of her life.

When the Evening News revealed Tilly's heartbreaking story last October, generous city residents raised £10,000 for her and her family to fly out to America fokr three weeks of tests.

Doctors at Lucile Packard's Children's Hospital yesterday claimed the only thing wrong with Tilly was "enlarged tonsils".

And after giving her a barium meal, they concluded that although she had had infections, they were long gone and food went straight to her stomach.

After spending her childhood living on liquid meals Tilly

whooped for joy yesterday as she ate ice cream for the first time, after enjoying her fry-up.

"And I had hash browns - with grease!" she said.

Tilly's favourite smell has always been frying bacon and she has been catching up on her rashers.

"I'm so happy. I used to be unhappy when I couldn't eat with my friends," she added.

Her mum Amelia told the Evening News in an exclusive interview last night that it was "unbelievable" and "amazing".

"I'm just over the moon," the 36-year-old said. "She tried ice cream at last. But it turns out she has not really got a sweet tooth."

Even though Tilly has not needed any complex treatment, her mother said she was so grateful for all the fund-raising because without that they may never have found out the truth.

"We were expecting operations, maybe plastic surgery," she added.

"When they told me Tilly had nothing wrong with her I was just gobsmacked."

Tilly and her mum, plus her mum's partner Mark, her 13-year-old sister Megan and her grandparents Sonia and Trevor are due to fly back from America tomorrow and are anticipating big celebrations in Warndon.

"I want to throw that feeding backpack in the Atlantic Ocean," said Amelia.

After the diagnosis come the questions

TILLY Merrell and her family are celebrating today after the plucky eight-year-old was told by American doctors she could eat normally after seven-and-a-half years of living on liquid meals.

But once the celebrations calm down, there will be tough questions to ask.

Tilly's mum Amelia last night described how she first took Tilly to hospital when she was a baby, to try to find out why she choked on her milk.

Doctors sent her to Birmingham Children's Hospital where, shortly after she was two years old, they diagnosed the rare nervous system affliction isolated bulbar palsy.

Since then, Mrs Merrell has taken Tilly to Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital in London for a third opinion and back and forth to Birmingham and to her specialist at the Worcestershire Royal.

She told the Evening News that doctor after doctor failed to give her daughter a barium meal or thorough throat examination and told Tilly she would just have to get used to her condition.

"Even in January, we were told at Worcestershire Royal Hospital not to get our hopes up," said Mrs Merrell.

"The first thing the doctors did at Packard Hospital was to put a camera in to Tilly's nose to look at her throat.

"At home they just listened to her chest and weighed her. It's unbelievable."

Marianna Thorn, the occupational therapist at the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital in California, US, said the medical team had not ruled out that Tilly had a problem at some point.

It was not unheard of for children to change as their bodies develop.

"She has a very long history of being fed through a tube, so we gave her the option of feeding her slowly here at the hospital so we could monitor her weight," she said.

Dr Peter Koltai, who also treated Tilly, did not blame the British doctors for not making the same discovery.

However, he said that "if a team effort had been put together they could have come to the same conclusion".

The Merrells are now planning to consult a solicitor when they return home tomorrow and have not ruled out legal action against one or more of the hospitals involved.

A spokesman from Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust said the clinicians from the Royal and other trusts who have been treating Tilly would await with interest the findings of the American team.

"We look forward to receiving the information," he added.

Birmingham Children's Hospital was unavailable to comment.

Take care warns expert

TILLY should be introduced to new foods slowly and carefully, according to a Worcester nutritional therapist, who said she could be allergic to some foods.

Tilly has missed out on approximately 8,214 meals since she was diagnosed with isolated bulbar palsy more than seven years ago.

And according to some experts, she may now find that she has an intolerance to some foods.

"She would need to be very careful with allergenic foods, such as wheat," said Denise Mortimore, a senior lecturer in nutrition at University College Worcester, who also runs her own clinic.

"I would advise that she is weaned onto food as a baby would be, introducing one new thing at a time. That way she could keep a track on any foods that might cause a problem.

"I would start her on goats' milk rather than cows' milk."

She was rather surprised at Tilly's choice for her first meal.

"I would not have given her a burger first as it is high in saturated fat and the bun contains wheat," she said. "Plus if it was a sesame seed bun, sesame seeds are highly allergenic.

"Maybe I'm being too cautious, as I have never come across this kind of situation, but I would advise her parents to take care."

Anger is directed

at doctors

FUNDRAISERS who helped raise the £10,000 needed to send Tilly off to America for tests said they would do it all again.

Warndon Community Centre raised more than £1,500 through various activities - and this morning they were amazed to hear that all the time, Tilly had been a normal, healthy little girl.

"At that time, the most important thing was to send Tilly off to get well," said Deana Cook, chairman to the management committee at the centre. "We have no regrets at all. We are just angry with the doctors.

"It's disgusting. They have deprived this beautiful little girl of a normal life and I feel so sorry for her mum, Amelia.

"I would do it all over again for Tilly. She is a wonderful little girl and we are all very excited about seeing her. We're just glad she's OK.

"I would also say thank you to all the users of the centre who helped to raise the money."

Schoolfriends are 'astounded'

TEACHERS and schoolfriends at Tilly's school were astounded by the news.

"It's the buzz around the school this morning," said Lynda Morgan, Year 6 teacher at Warndon Junior School.

"Tilly is a lovely and very bright girl, and we can't wait to have her back. One of the first things she said, apparently, is that she can't wait to eat with her friends at school. Life should really open up for her now. It's fantastic.

"She can now take part fully in the curriculum and the fact that she is already eating is great news.

"There was an awful lot of fund-raising from the school because Tilly is very popular here so we are all delighted."