Liverpool ECHO latest headlines on Wednesday, December 14
Parents feared 'eating Christmas dinner on floor' after DFS 'lose sofa'
A woman feared her disabled parents might have to eat Christmas dinner on the floor after their new sofa got "lost in transit".
Samantha Catlow, 34, from Greasby, on the Wirral, told the ECHO that she had bought her own sofa from DFS and "had no problems" before deciding to order one for her parnets.
On October 17, she placed an order with DFS for a new sofa and chair for her parents Sharon Connor, 51, and Terrence Connor, 57, who are both disabled. The items came to a total of £1,587.
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Samantha said: "They have a variety of health issues so I ordered something that would be more comfortable and easier to keep clean.
"I know these things take time. I kept checking online and on December 1 it said the sofa and chair had arrived at the depot, so I booked a delivery for [Monday] December 5."
In preparation for the delivery, Samantha's parents forked out £150 to have their old furniture removed the day before as it was "unsuitable". The charge was higher due to it being a Sunday. Read more here.
Mum screamed 'please tell me she is breathing' in desperate 999 call
This is the harrowing 999 call a mum made to coastguards after her daughter drifted out to sea.
Milena Smith, from Birkenhead, was enjoying a day out in Barmouth, Wales, back in August with her husband and their two daughters. Mabel, 12 and Elsie, 10, were playing in the water when they started to get into difficulty.
Milena, who has recently learned to swim, heard her daughters "screaming loudly" and they began drifting further and further out. The mum rang 999 straight away and asked for the coastguard while her husband went into the sea.
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The 999 call made by Milena was released by the RNLI to raise awareness on water safety. She can be heard frantically explaining what has happened to the call handler.
In the call, she said: "Coastguard, my daughters are drowning, we are in Barmouth. Right on the pier where it's going in and I can't see them. I can't see them. My two children are 10 and 12." Read the full story here.
Parents' lives 'changed forever' after baby went for scan on first birthday
A one-year-old baby was diagnosed with an "unthinkable" cancer after going for an MRI scan on her birthday.
The family of Hallie Evans is living through a "horrific nightmare" as the one-year-old battles through gruelling chemotherapy. The baby was diagnosed with inoperable neuroblastoma in her lower spine after going for an MRI on a birthmark at Alder Hey Children's Hospital.
But the family heard the "unthinkable had been found" when they received a chilling set of results. Parents Hayley Williams and Jamie Evans said the results had shaken the whole family "to its core" and, in some ways, "changed them forever".
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A fundraiser has been set up by Hallie's nan Sharon Evans to support the family during the ordeal. Dad Jamie called Hallie a "warrior" as she undertakes the chemotherapy.
Writing in the GoFundMe, Jamie said: "She has been through two different strength chemotherapy treatments as the first one that was tried wasn't having the effect needed to get rid of this nightmare. Luckily we are seeing some more positive results with the stronger chemotherapy but that in turn has and is taking its toll on our baby." Read more here.
