The family of a Bradford girl who has been battling the devastating effects of meningitis have started 2018 with optimism as they look to bring home their “little fighter.”

One-year-old Kia Gott is still in high dependency care after having all four of her limbs amputated, but her mum and dad are now daring to think ahead and are bravely starting to make plans for a homecoming they feared they might never see.

The family, who have two other children aged four and eight, have been living in a three bedroom housing association home in Wyke up until now – but will have to move into a bigger and more suitable property when doctors eventually allow Kia home.

“We look forward to the day she comes home to a suitable house where her needs can be met. Both her siblings Kayden and Elsie want her home where she belongs,” said relative Donna Gott.

Kia’s Mum Vikki and dad Paul Gott are determined to stay in Wyke, where they have so many family members and friends, and will soon start speaking about their needs with their landlord Yorkshire Housing.

“Wyke is their home and they want to stay put. Their safety net is there so it’s understandable but they will have needs that will need meeting. Kia’s needs will be huge and complex, she will be in a wheelchair. All this will need to be looked at so the family gets the right kind of support to give Kia as bright a future as possible,” added Ms Gott.

Even once Kia comes out of high dependency care at Leeds General Infirmary, she will have to go through rehabilitation before coming home. That process could take several months.

Her mum Vikki said: “We want to thank everyone for their continued support and kind messages. Our baby Kia is so precious to us all and she has touched so many hearts these past few months, we cannot bare the thought of losing her.”

Crowdfunders have donated more than £36,000 to help Kia’s family plan a better future for her.

The family has made contact with Bradford South MP Judith Cummins, who is planning to visit Kia in hospital soon, said Ms Gott. Ms Cummins has already pledged to help the family if they need her.

Meanwhile, more than 4,000 people have signed an on-line petition to reinstate the Meningitis C vaccination to babies at 12-weeks-old.

It was stopped in 2016 and is now given in combination with another vaccine at around 12 months instead. The family believes Kia would not have fallen ill if she had been given the vaccine at 12 weeks.

Kia’s mum said: “We urge people to sign our petition to reinstate the Meningitis C vaccination to babies at 12 weeks old to stop this happening to another family. We do not want anyone else going through the distress and trauma we are facing right now and for the for the rest of our lives.”

Kia was struck down by meningococcal septicemia in September, leaving her fighting for her life - until that point she was a happy, thriving baby.

The MenC vaccine was stopped after the Joint Committee on Vaccination (JCVI) sent a letter to Public Health England in March 2016, recommending that infants aged 12 weeks no longer required the vaccination against meningococcal serogroup C (MenC) due to the success of the immunisation programme that started in 1999.

NHS Choices says the success of the MenC vaccination programme meant there were almost no cases of the disease in babies or young children in the UK any longer and therefore the dose of MenC vaccine that used to be offered to babies at 12 weeks of age was removed from the vaccination schedule.

The petition at petition.parliament.uk/petitions/205842 needs 10,000 signatures to get a response from the Government.

Forty-eight hours before Kia fell ill, she had been at her older siblings’ school at Shirley Manor Primary Academy for a family photo with no indication of being ill or what was about to happen. As well as losing her limbs to the virus, Kia has also suffered significant brain damage although her family are hoping she still has some sight and hearing. Meningitis Now has a free helpline on 0808 80 10 388.