A baby girl battling a condition so rare she has had to live most of her life in hospital has finally returned home.

Now friends and family of Daisy Allen are fighting for her future by raising thousands towards her care.

She is 15-months-old, but has spent 11 of them receiving specialist treatment in London.

Daisy was diagnosed with a rare muscle disease at four months and has been living at Royal Brompton Hospital.

The tot has now been allowed home, but will need further treatment and adaptations made to her home.

Debbie Pettit, a close family friend and landlady of The White Horse in Charlotte Street, Sittingbourne, said: “When Daisy was born, everything was fine, she was happy and healthy.

“When she got to four months old she caught a cold, stopped feeding and was admitted to hospital where they found she has an extremely rare muscle disease.

“It is so rare it is not yet known exactly what it is.”

The 54-year-old added: “Daisy has a paralysed diaphragm, which squashes her lung, so she has a tracheotomy to help her breathe.

"It’s unsafe for her to swallow, so she has a feeding peg to bypass her throat.

“She also suffers with bone contractures in her hands, feet and shoulders and needs an operation in January to place rods in her feet to straighten them.

“She will also need intensive physiotherapy and hydrotherapy, not available on the NHS, and a number of adaptations need to be made to her home – that’s why we’re fundraising.”

A group of family friends launched a campaign – called Team Daisy – three weeks ago and has so far raised more than £5,400.

Mum Fiona King who grew up in Sittingbourne but now lives in Ditton, Aylesford, said she could not thank Mrs Pettit and the team enough for their efforts.

“It’s amazing having Daisy home, but hard work.

"We have a steep driveway and it’s not easy to get Daisy up and down safely into the car.

"She is so happy to be with her family and seems to be thriving.”

But just getting a cold could see Daisy back in hospital as her system is so compromised.

• To donate, visit tinyurl.com/TeamDaisyAppeal