Brave Ellie and Lily meet One Direction (From Essex County Standard)

Brave Ellie and Lily meet One Direction

7:00pm Monday 29th October 2012 in News

BRAVE sisters Ellie and Lily Houghton saw their dreams come true when they met boyband One Direction.

The girls, who both suffer from rare heart conditions, were each granted a wish by charity Rays of Sunshine.

Last month Lily, three, got to meet favourite CBeebies entertainer Mr Tumble, and on Friday, Ellie and Lily travelled to London to meet the chart-toppers.

Afterwards, they were whisked by limousine for food at the Rainforest Cafe and then a tour of London’s sights.

Mum Kate, 28, said Ellie was a huge fan of One Direction’s music and was ecstatic to meet Niall, Zayn, Liam, Harry and Louis.

She said: “The girls thorough enjoyed it, and to be honest they really deserved it.

“Ella asked each of them what the strangest thing was a fan had ever done.
“They all said someone had hidden in a bin to try and find them but the security guard had found them.”

Lily has Ebstein’s anomaly - a missing heart valve - and once a month has a Supraventricular tachycardia, when her heart beats 200 times a minute and she requires an injection at hospital.

Ellie, eight, was only diagnosed with ventricular eptopics, or an irregular heartbeat, six months ago.

If left undiagnosed, it is often a cause of Sudden Death Syndrome.
Medics are now carrying out tests to find out if the rare defects are genetic or a coincidence.