A FAMILY from Canford Heath want to send their five-year-old daughter Chloe Anderson on a dream holiday after a life-saving operation leaving her breathing with the help of a tube.

This week the youngster returned to Poole Hospital after a two-hour tracheotomy operation at London's Great Ormond Street Hospital for children.

Young Chloe had never had any health problems. Then on January 26 - six days after her birthday - her worried parents, Jenny, 30, and Davie, 29, had to call an ambulance because she had difficulty breathing.

She was taken to Poole hospital and given an emergency ventilation operation. Her mother said: "They told us we were just in time - if she hadn't had the operation she would not have survived."

It was thought she might have croup - an inflammation of the upper airways - but at Southampton Hospital it was found she had a rare bacterial infection called strep A.

Chloe was in and out of hospital until February 15 when she deteriorated and had to be taken to Southampton to be ventilated again.

But her condition did not improve and it was found her windpipe was so badly damaged it was like breathing through that of a baby.

So she was sent to the London children's hospital two weeks ago where she was given the two-hour operation, where a hole was cut in her windpipe and a tracheotomy tube put in to keep it open.

She will live with the tube for at least the next year-and-a-half. She must be monitored constantly in case it comes out and the liquid that builds up in the tube must be sucked out frequently throughout the day.

Mrs Anderson said: "During all this time Chloe has not been able to go home or play with her friends. She has not even been able to play with her birthday presents yet.

"She has been so brave and strong we want to do something to make this little girl's life a little bit happier. She such a lovely little girl - everyone loves her."

The family explained her dream holiday would be to Disneyland and they would like to take her for her sixth birthday in January.

Chloe, who goes to Adastra First School, will be in Poole Hospital for the next couple of weeks while her parents are trained to look after her and modifications made to the house.

The family are currently looking to move house as they need room for the storage boxes for the medication, the machines Chloe - who currently shares a bedroom with her brother Mitchel, nine - will need and a special cot.

If you would like to donate money to help send Chloe to Disneyland, contact the Poole office of the Daily Echo on 01202 675 413.

* ASDA Canford Heath has already planned some fund-raising events to buy care equipment for Chloe. Staff will be holding a Teddy Bears' Picnic on Sunday, May 22, from 11am to 3pm, and a balloon race on Sunday, May 29.