In addition to being born with two wombs, eight-year-old Poppy Wadsworth permanently fights infection as her rectum, vagina and urethra all share a common channel - a disability which requires her to carry a stoma bag.
Learning of Poppy's condition which occurs in one per 50,000 births, surgeon Mark Levett assured her concerned parents that he is capable of constructing a vagina for their little girl in addition to reshaping her bladder and providing her with working kidneys.
Bowled over by the promise, Poppy's overwhelmed mum, Alison, recalled her conversation with him, saying: “I asked the surgeon at least three times during our conference call: ‘Can you fix her?' 'Yes, I can fix her,’ he said."
Remembering Poppy's birth, Alison was unaware there was anything wrong with her child until a day after her arrival.
Explaining the moment she learned of her daughter's condition, Alison said: "It was only 24 hours after Poppy was born they realised there was a problem. She was like a doll, they had to do blood tests to determine if she was male or female. The doctors said, ‘Don’t worry, she will still be your little girl'".
Poppy initially struggled to understand her condition so Alison kept it simple, saying: "I explained her condition by saying she is like a doll. I even got her a teddy with a stoma. When she went to school for the first time a couple of boys said, ‘Eww, are you wearing a nappy?’ They could see she was wearing something bulky under her clothes."
On account of the severity of Poppy's condition, the US hospital has agreed to pay half the cost of her surgery while the Wadsworths fundraise in order to raise the other £50,000.
From bake sales to sponsored walks, Poppy's parents have raised £36,000 in honour of their little girl since March and are currently in the process of raising the final £14,000.
Turning her attention to her little girl's future, Alison contemplates whether Poppy will become a mum one day, saying: "If she has kids she wouldn’t be able to give birth naturally. She would need to be induced and have a caesarean. We will cross that bridge when we get there."
Paying tribute to her courageous daughter, Alison said: "She never gets upset. It's almost like she already knows what her future will be. She says that when she has the op she will be able to do everything that any other little girl can do."
Wishing Poppy all the best with the next chapter. We think she's an incredibly brave little girl.
