A MOTHER is trying to raise £5,000 towards a device to prevent her two-year-old daughter from choking.

Annabelle Smith, two, has cystic fibrosis.

She was diagnosed when she was just 13-days old.

Her mother, Kerry, 32, said the past two years have been “hard work” for all the family who are helping to support her daughter.

She said: “We were told by Great Ormond Street Hospital that she needed to be tested and initially I was quite relieved they had found it.

“We knew she was not going to die right there and then but at first I really feared the worst.

Just after Annabelle’s second birthday in June, Kerry, who lives with Annabelle and her other two children, Hollie, nine and Kaison, eight, launched the fundraiser asking for £5,000 for a physio vest which vibrates her chest to dislodge and clear the mucous that builds up her lungs as a result of the condition.

She is also raising an extra £2,000 away from the fundraiser to cover the full cost of the vest.

Kerry said: “Cystic fibrosis destroys the lungs, it causes the pancreas to not work, causes liver disease and most sufferers have diabetes.

“Having something like this for Annabelle is so important as even though she does her exercises and takes her medication, sometimes it can be a real struggle.

“There’s time in order to do certain things, I have to pin Annabelle between my legs to get her to take some medicines.” Kerry added that the treatment cannot be received on the NHS, however it is being used very regularly in Canada and the USA.

She said: “It would mean everything to have it.

“People in other countries have access to these types of treatments we can never get in the UK and I have heard it has helped so many people.”

Kerry has also found a support network of fellow parents online who have helped her to continue caring for Annabelle.

She said: “There are people with older children who I can speak to about what we are going through right now who have seen it before.

“When I have a bad day and I’m crying, not knowing what I should do, they’re there to help.”

The fundraiser has so far raised £500.

To donate to support the family go to www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/kerry-smith-365