NEARLY £5,000 has been raised to help an Amblecote tot who suffers from a rare and life-threatening form of epilepsy.

Calla-Rose Cadman from Penfields was seemingly a healthy baby but at just a few months old she began having seizures and after a series of tests was diagnosed with Dravet syndrome which is caused by a gene mutation and affects around 1 in 40,000.

The condition can lead to an array of health and development issues and means sufferers live with a high risk of sudden unexplained death in epilepsy, but one-year-old Calla-Rose's mum Nicki Cadman says her little girl is a “fighter and very determined” and friends and family have rallied to help.

Many have been raising money for the family to help buy lifesaving equipment which can monitor oxygen levels in the blood and highlight a sudden drop in heart rate if night or silent seizures occur.

A Motown and Soul night at Stourbridge Football Club, organised by Calla-Rose’s grandmother Liz Cadman in December, raised £2,389 and a charity raffle organised by a group of mums from Amblecote Primary School, where the little one’s brother and sister are pupils, raised £2,652.

The school also held a mufti day for Calla-Rose and pupils sold loom bands. Staff members have also been raising money by making and selling food and a host of other kind-hearted people have also pledged to help after reading about Calla-Rose's plight in the Stourbridge News.

The tot's parents Nicki and husband Lee, from Grampian Road, said they have been "overwhelmed" at the generosity of family, friends and members of the public.

Nicki added: “We will forever be thankful to everyone who has helped and continues to support us.

"Calla is a fighter and her willpower and determination will get her through this illness that we continue to battle on a daily basis."

She said the family has now been able to buy the equipment needed to raise the alarm in the event of Calla suffering a night-time seizure but she added: "We are continuing to raise money for Calla as we think she may need a wheelchair."

Supporter Paul Williams is getting set to run the Coventry Half Marathon on February 28 for Calla and Nicki's pal Kayleigh Guest is preparing to have her hair shaved off to help bring in further funds.

For more on Calla-Rose's story check out http://www.courageouscallarose.co.uk/ or https://www.facebook.com/courageouscalla

To make a donation or support the above fundraisers go to https://www.gofundme.com/Calla-Rose