A sick girl is recovering in intensive care after life-changing heart surgery but due to complications her family are being charged thousands of pounds extra in private hospital bills.

Leilani Aisthorpe was born with a condition said to be so rare only a doctor in America could operate on her.

But after months of looking for a solution, her family were able to locate a consultant in London who could also perform the procedure

The one-year-old has been in intensive care since her surgery on Monday after becoming really ill due to complications with her chest drain.

Due to these, further tests, procedures and overnight stays, the cost has increased greatly.

The family from Hathaway Court, Rochester, are now being charged a further £8,000 on top of the £40,000 surgery which is increasing daily.

Mum Louise said: "Although it should not be about money, the cost of Leilani’s treatment has increased dramatically, as she has had to have tests and treatments they were not expecting due to complications.

"It is a very scary time, I have never seen so many machines and tubes and seeing my baby in pain is something no parent should ever have to deal with.

"Leilani is still in intensive care, we are on the right track but obviously it has not been an easy time of it.

"We still have a long way to go and the fundraising and cost is not something I want to be thinking about right now but unfortunately it is the reality of our situation."

Leilani has a condition called Aberrant Right Subclavian Artery (ARSA), which means the youngster has a fourth vessel branch out of the aortic arch which goes behind the windpipe and the oesophagus.

She also suffers from a rare condition where three-quarters of her right lung is dead.

Due to her two conditions, Leilani struggles. She cannot lie flat or eat solid foods and must be fed every two hours, 24-hours-a-day but this leads to a lack of sleep and she can also have episodes where she stops breathing.

Louise, 36, explained the first operation was to re-route Leilani's artery and due to the complexities of her condition cannot be treated on the NHS.

If you would like to donate to their family's fundraiser you can do so here.