'GOSH holds a very special place in our hearts': Meet Arliah

Arliah arrived at GOSH in August 2025. “We thought we’d be taking her home within a few weeks, but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case,” Carmela says.

Arliah stayed until March, which meant that she and her family experienced some of the hospital's Christmas festivities.

“It definitely felt festive, with so many people visiting the wards in Christmas-themed outfits,” Carmela says. “What the charity does for the children is amazing.”

Arliah's journey actually started long before she was born. At Carmela's 12-week scan, doctors discovered that her baby had exomphalos. At around 22 weeks, they found there was an issue with the part of the bowel inside her body.

Within an hour of being born at a nearby hospital, Arliah was transferred to GOSH. She had surgery the following day, when she was only 24 hours old. By the time she was seven weeks old, Arliah had already had another major operation.

“It’s been such a challenging time to navigate,” Carmela says.  “Everyone always asks, ‘How are you doing it?’ But any other parent would do it for their child.”

During Arliah's time at GOSH, Carmela says she had incredible support from different teams across the hospital, including the charity-funded Play and Music Therapy teams.

“Nick from the Music Therapy team was absolutely fantastic," Carmela says. “He came in every week, and Arliah loved him. She was fascinated by his voice and his guitar. It was a really lovely part of our experience.”

Home-from-home accommodation was another big source of support for Carmela and her family. The service is fully funded by Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity, and Carmela said it helped her family so much.

"If we needed to be at Arliah’s bedside in the middle of the night, we could do it thanks to the accommodation,” Carmela says.

Arliah’s now at home, although she returns to GOSH for check-ups and care. She's still on parenteral nutrition, a method of feeding that bypasses the entire digestive system, five nights a week, but Carmela says she's making good progress.

"Since being home, Arliah's thrived, and her cheeky little personality is really showing,” she says. "She's come so far."

In August, Arliah celebrated her first birthday, a milestone that wouldn't have been possible without GOSH, Carmela says.

"We’ll always be eternally grateful for what GOSH did and provided for us as a family. We’re going to tell Arliah that she can do anything in this world. She can achieve anything, because of what she’s already been through."