Fundraiser to buy little Lana heart-shaped headstone fit for a princess

Lana Driver, five, was born with a congenital diaphragmatic hernia, which occurs when the muscle that separates the chest from the abdomen fails to properly develop in the womb, and suffered from pulmonary hypertension, a type of high blood pressure that affects the lungs.

She died at Blackpool Victoria Hospital on October 25, two days after her fifth birthday party.

Her funeral took place at St Nicholas’ Church in Fleetwood on November 13. Family, friends, and dedicated carers from Brian House Children’s Hospice gathered to say their goodbyes to the ‘articulate, sociable and inquisitive little girl’.

A musical fund-raiser in her memory will take place at the Old Bank Restaurant, on Lord Street, on Saturday, November 23, from 3pm.

Cash will go towards buying a headstone for Lana, while any left over donations will be split between Brian House and the Ronald McDonald House in Manchester.

Her mum Susie, 36, said: “Lana is my world, my warrior, my princess, and it would mean so much to me to get her this perfect headstone.

“I’d like to get her one in the shape of a heart. One half would have her name on, and the other half would be for me, when I go with her.

“The amount of people who have got behind us is amazing. Fleetwood has done her proud. Every shop we’ve spoken to has offered something for my little princess.

“I’m hoping to smash as much as £1,000.”