A little girl given a five per cent chance of survival after she developed a rare infection from chickenpox has made a miraculous recovery – thanks to doctors who battled to save her.

Three-year-old Libbie Handley developed Streptococcus Toxic Shock Syndrome from a routine case of chickenpox. Within hours of showing symptoms, she was fighting for her life.

By the time her mother Janine got her to a doctor, Libbie’s heart rate was at 200 beats per minute, rather than the expected 140, and she was struggling to breathe.

All doctors could do was to give her manual chest compressions to keep air going into her body and her blood circulating.

Libby Handley nearly died after developing rare complication Streptococcus Toxic Shock Syndrome from chickenpox. But doctors battled to keep her alive by pumping her chest manually for three days.

Remarkably, they did this day and night for three days until she could be transferred to a specialist hospital where she was put on a machine to breathe and circulate blood for her.

Her mother Janine, 24, from Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, said: ‘Libbie picked up chickenpox from her five-year-old sister Tialir and I didn’t think there was anything to worry about.

‘But within a few hours, she was being tested for meningitis and her health was rapidly deteriorating. She didn’t look like my little girl anymore.’

Libbie began struggling to breathe and her oxygen levels dropped, while doctors desperately tried to give her fluids and the correct medication to fight off the infection.

However, as medics battled to save the youngster’s life, her body began to shut down, so Libbie was put into an induced coma.

Just one in 30,000 children contract Streptococcus Toxic Shock Syndrome each year and of these, only four in 10,000 will survive.

Her only chance of survival was to be hand-ventilated until she was well enough to be hooked up to a ventilation machine.

Ms Handley said: ‘One doctor was having to hand-ventilate her because if he stopped, she would have died. I Just kept thinking, he’s got to stop at some point, then my little girl will be gone.’

Mother Janine Handley said she wasn’t concerned when three-year-old daughter Libbie (left) caught chickenpox from five-year-old sister Tialir (right). But within hours, Libbie was developing worrying symptoms so Ms Handley sought medical help.

Expecting the worst, Janine had Libbie baptised before she was moved from Tameside Hospital to the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital for further treatment – still being hand-ventilated throughout the journey.

Janine was told that the only hope was to hook Libbie up to an ‘ECMO’ machine – a specialist machine which would take over from her hand ventilation treatment.

The machine takes blood out of the body, cleans it, while taking on the role of the heart and the lungs.

But with just eight machines in the UK, at hospitals so distant that could put Libbie’s life at risk, her chances seemed even slimmer than before.

Doctors did not have the hi-tech ECMO machine they needed to keep Libbie’s heart and lungs working so they took it in turns to manually pump her chest for 72 hours

Eventually Libbie was put on an ECMO machine which kept her alive artificially whilst she fought off the deadly infection she developed

However the Alder Hey Hospital in Liverpool found her a place after specialists emphasised how serious Libbie’s case was.

‘I was told Libbie had just five per cent chance of survival. It was terrifying,’ said Janine.

Libbie was placed on the ECMO machine for eight days, but after just six, there was a malfunction, meaning she had to be taken off the ventilator while doctors removed it, risking her life.

But, amazingly, she survived on her own, and her vital statistics remained consistent for 20 minutes while she remained unaided.

Ms Handley says that while doctors said daughter Libbie (left) may struggle a little in school, she has been left with no lasting damage after the infection. Libbie caught chickenpox from sister Tialir (right).

Janine said: ‘I was petrified she wasn’t going to make it but she stayed perfect throughout. It was amazing to see her without needing constant help.’

Doctors replaced the ventilator to ensure her heart and lungs were not damaged, and she was taken off the machine after eight days.

But Janine’s worry wasn’t over as she was yet to discover whether her daughter had suffered any lasting damage from the infection.

She said: ‘Eventually Libbie came round and I was expecting to get my little girl back. But she was having problems with her movement and coordination.’

Back to normal: Young Libbie now enjoys playing with her big sister Tialir. ‘My Tialir’ were the first words Libbie uttered after spending days in an induced coma.

Finally, with her mum at her bedside, Libbie spoke her first words following her ordeal.

‘She whispered “My Tialir”,’ said Janine. ‘I was over the moon because I knew she could remember her life before, and she and her sister were always so close.’

After four further days, Libbie began to walk again and showed no serious, lasting damage.

It is thought she may struggle slightly when she goes to school, but doctors have been amazed by her recovery.

Janine said: ‘They nicknamed her the “ECMO Baby” because they have never seen a baby on the treatment recover so well.

‘We were told she’s the worst case they have ever had to put on the ECMO machine.

‘She’s an amazing little girl and has totally changed since she was poorly. She sings everything now and makes herself heard with everything. She’s a little miracle..

Read more: Daily Mail UK