At the age of just four months, little Alba Pitcher was airlifted to a London children's hospital as she struggled to breathe.

The little girl was suffering had developed bronchiolitis - an infection of the lower respiratory tract that affects babies and young children.

She was put into a medically induced coma and was intubed at the QEQM hospital in Margate , before being rushed to the Evelina Children’s Hospital in London on the Children's Air Ambulance.

The route would have taken two-and-a-half hours by road ambulance, but took just 28 minutes by helicopter, shaving crucial hours off the journey.

After 12 days at the Evelina, Alba returned home and since then she has been fit and well.

Thanks to the helicopter flight back in December 2017, she got the specialist paediatric care she needed as quickly as possible and today, she is celebrating her third birthday with family and friends.

Alba's mum, Jess said: "I know first-hand the difference it made getting there by helicopter so quickly.

"Everyone was so lovely and put me at ease. I knew Alba was in the best possible hands.

“The Children’s Air Ambulance means the difference between life and death for many patients and the pilots do an amazing job."

Today Alba is "a very funny little girl, quite a diva," according to her mum Jess. “You would never know she was so poorly when she was a baby.

"She has her two older brothers wrapped around her little finger and they adore her."

Alba is cared for by a childminder while her mum is at work, and on September 29 the children there are set to do a sponsored walk to raise funds for the Children’s Air Ambulance.

The national transfer service for seriously ill children and babies is run by charity The Air Ambulance Service (TAAS).

Each children’s transfer they carry out costs about £3,500 for the charity, which relies on public donations.

Through their sponsored walk, Alba and her friends hope to raise £200 - the equivalent of 30 minutes' petrol.

To sponsor them, visit the event's Justgiving page .

To find out more about The Children's Air Ambulance, visit its website .

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