A thousand smiles for Aurora

YOUNG mum Kayla McGeorge is stepping out of her comfort zone to do something special for her daughter, Aurora.

The little girl with Lockerbie’s biggest smile was born five months ago with the rare genetic condition of Congenital Melanocytic Naevi (CMN), a type of birthmark that may appear in newborn babies. It can affect one in 20,000 children.

CMN is now understood to be a Mosaic Disorder caused by a genetic mutation or change in a single cell of the baby as it develops during pregnancy. This can happen to any child and is not inherited from either parent.

Aurora, who has been under regular treatments at hospitals in Glasgow and Edinburgh, is alert, attentive and was mildly puzzled by her mum taking time to talk to a newspaper instead of her.

“She’s an angel, bless her,” said Kayla, 21.

And come September, Aurora is expected to be at the finish line of a half-marathon at Strathclyde Park near Glasgow, which her mum is aiming to run successfully.

“The charity I have chosen to run for is Caring Matters Now. This charity is very close to my heart as they have done a lot for our little family in the last five months. They have been the best support, answering all of my questions and giving loads of help and advice,” said Kayla.

Her partner, Kenan, 21, will also be at the run in the autumn, planning to celebrate an all-round special family event.

It has been a tough time for the Lockerbie family, but mum and dad remain upbeat.

CMN is a disorder that can initially look like a simple birthmark. In fact, it was not diagnosed at Aurora’s birth. That came later in Glasgow.

The condition consists of a dark birthmark that can be hairy or not hairy and it can have different textures perhaps covering up to 80 per cent of the body. CMN can also grow internally and in the worst cases can prove to be fatal.

Kayla said she can’t take CMN away from Aurora, but she can do something to help and that is why she is limbering up for the half-marathon.

But she admits there’s not been too much training involved so far. “I was pregnant for nine months and since then I’ve been busy with Aurora,” Kayla said, “but I’m still going for it.”

She hopes to raise £1000 for Caring Matters Now and is almost at the halfway mark of the target.

If you want to support the family’s charity run, you can find details at the Go Fund Me site, on the page “Run for Aurora”.