Etta Cartmill, 3, of Newry, and her older brother Olly, 6, were both born with TTC21B, an extremely rare condition that most commonly affects the kidneys but can affect other organs as well.<\/p>\n
Their mother, Dionne, 41, told PEOPLE that both of her children were born with stage 5 kidney failure<\/a> and were put on grueling medical care routines essentially since birth.<\/p>\n \u201cOlly was on [home-based dialysis] for two and a half years. He was on a lot of medication and he was peg fed a special feed [through a tube] to help control his electrolytes. Our home was like a hospital with medical equipment in order to do this,\u201d she explained in an email.<\/p>\n Dionne Cartmill<\/p>\n Olly Cartmill<\/p>\n Olly eventually received a kidney transplant<\/a> from his grandmother, which Dionne described as life-changing.<\/p>\n \u201cHe has finally become the wee boy he should have always been. He is full of \u2026 fun and keeps us on our toes,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n However, she said Etta\u2019s condition has proven more complex. While Etta will also require a kidney transplant in the near future, she has already received a new liver.<\/p>\n \u201cEtta’s hemoglobin was dropping too often, she was requiring regular blood transfusions every four to six weeks,\u201d Dionne explained.<\/p>\n Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had to go to Birmingham Hospital to get a liver pressure test done, then an ultrasound showed a large and scarred liver \u2026 It was after that test we found out she had a form of liver disease called portal hypertension and therefore needed a liver transplant, too,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n Dionne Cartmill<\/p>\n Etta Cartmill<\/p>\n Etta received a new liver from an organ donor<\/a>, and her mother said the surgery has improved her daughter\u2019s quality of life by \u201cleaps and bounds.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBeforehand she was in so much pain, cried constantly, was so agitated [and] her coloring was a gray yellow color,\u201d Dionne recalled, adding that Etta\u2019s \u201cbelly was so big\u201d due to her \u201chuge liver\u201d and that she suffered from chronic and painful constipation.<\/p>\n \u201cShe had no energy to even try to move but couldn’t sleep for long as she was in so much pain,\u201d she continued.<\/p>\n \u201cNow she is thriving,\u201d Dionne added. \u201cAbsolutely loves music and dancing<\/a>, loves getting out for walks in the pram, getting her hair done, going shopping and of course watching Peppa Pig.\u201d<\/p>\n Dionne Cartmill<\/p>\n Etta Cartmill<\/p>\n However, Etta\u2019s medical journey is still not over.<\/p>\n Dionne told PEOPLE that Etta is currently on in-hospital dialysis three to five times a week for her kidneys and is on a \u201clot of different medications and receives physical therapy.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Dionne](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/c08bec32224832ea55c546d958eb6c70.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n![\"Dionne](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/3c7bafe9c5e239e6a11928a1c7534b00.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n![\"Dionne](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2d55fe51941ff28c4eb6b86caf51d4f4.jpeg\"\/)
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