The family of a little girl with a congenital heart condition said their lives were completely shattered when she died just days after Christmas. Wren Harkins, four, was given palliative care in 2021 after medics realised there would be no more they could do.
The "happy and feisty" little girl had numerous ops and hospital stays, and in 2021 was given weeks to live. Mum-of-two Allanah Jones, 33, said her smile "would light up a room" and she only found she was pregnant at 34 weeks.
Wren died on December 29, and a funeral was held on January 14. She lived in Hallglen, Falkirk, with mum Allanah, dad Chris, 35, and brother Quinn, six.
Allanah said: “I still can’t believe that she’s gone. Despite her going through so much, she always had a smile on her face that could light up a room.
"But her wee broken heart just couldn't fight any longer and she is now at peace and pain free. So many have followed along on her journey – from our darkest days to her biggest achievements – and supported us along the way. I am forever grateful."
Wren was born in Forth Valley Royal Hospital in Larbert on March 25, 2018, weighing 7lbs 4.5oz but aged six weeks she was referred to the Sick Children’s Hospital in Glasgow.”
Tests revealed Wren had pulmonary atresia – where the valve that controls blood flow from the heart to the lungs doesn't form – and ventricular septal defect, as well as rare condition major aortopulmonary collateral arteries (MAPCAs). Allanah said: “She had four open heart surgeries and the last one saw her in theatre for 26 hours.
"We thought that we wouldn’t get her back but she pulled through. We were also warned that bleeds on her brain could leave her in a vegetative state but Wren’s recovery just went from strength to strength.
"It seemed that every odd they gave her she defied it. After her last operation she was in a wheelchair for a couple of weeks but she was determined to walk again and she did.”
But Wren’s parents were stunned in January 2021 when doctors told them that there was nothing more they could do to repair their daughter’s heart and she was being placed on end of life care. Allanah added: “It came as a massive shock.
"Wren seemed to be getting stronger after her previous operation and when doctors told us the results of her latest scan we couldn't quite believe it. They said she would probably only live for around six weeks but she survived for two years.
"Wren was a little fighter and so determined. Obviously we're so grateful and happy that we got that extra two years with her, but it wasn't long enough. No time would have ever been enough."
Her parents were determined that their daughter, who they described as “a happy and feisty wee thing” should live as normal a life as possible. Allanah said: "She never wanted help with anything and I made a conscious decision not to wrap her in cotton wool. If she wanted to splash in puddles then she did.
"If she wanted to go on a bouncy castle at a birthday party she did. I just always followed her lead.
"She was great on Christmas Day and had an absolute ball. To look at her you would never have known she was on end of life care which is why it was such a shock days later when she was gone.
"Our lives have been completely shattered. Quinn is very young to fully understand what has happened but we’ve told him that the angels came for Wren and she’s at peace.”
Now a fundraising page has been set up to help the family with funeral costs and any money left over will got towards a memorial in the youngster’s honour. The fundraiser, set up by family friend Taylor Heron, has raised £6,500.
Taylor said: “It’s heartbreaking. I am raising funds for the strongest family I know. I had the absolute pleasure of knowing the most incredible little girl Wren.
"She put up the most amazing fight, she had more surgeries in her wee life that most couldn’t even comprehend but she still fought through. Wren has lived in the same little town her whole life and we have all been part of her journey.
"As a community we would like to raise some funds to help the family and to remember the strongest little girl who ever walked through it.”
To donate visit www.gofundme.com/f/wren-harkins-funeral-memorial-fund
