Seven-year-old Elizabeth suffered severe burns as a baby and has now raised over £200,000 for Birmingham Children’s Hospital.
She was only 6 months old when her cot was set on fire because of a malfunctioning air conditioner. Since then she’s gone through more than 70 skin grafts and operations.
The burns have limited her movement but that didn’t stop her from running a mile each day for 26 days in July to raise the money.
She is enthusiastic and has big ambitions said Liam Soffe, her father.
The public’s response to her fundraising efforts have been “just amazing”, he said.
Originally from Dublin, the family had been Qatar when the fire broke out in her bedroom.
Mr Soffe said the family were “very lucky” to get the treatment at Birmingham Children’s Hospital and they soon after moved to the city.
He said, “her biggest problem is range of movement”.
Elizabeth suffered burns to 70% of her body and as the skin grafts don’t grow as she does they need replacing or relieving as they become stretched.
She started her fundraising efforts this summer in the form of a marathon challenge running a mile every day for 26 days in July.
Mr Soffe said, “She woke up every day enthusiastic about doing that mile, even when she was tired,”
They aimed to raise £130,000 so the hospital can buy a new laser machine.
However, when her fundraising plan was shared, celebrities couldn’t help but get involved and she received donations from Russell Howard, Adil Ray, Gabby Roslin and Emma Kennedy helping to surpass that target.
“She doesn’t seem to recognise any limits” she’s talked about rock climbing, parachute jumps and abseiling said, Mr Soffe.
He and his wife Sinead are trying to remain positive by “just keep coming back to the idea that we’re lucky she survived.”
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