A five-year-old from Bulford has been awarded a medal by the military children’s charity, Little Troopers, after being rushed to hospital while her father was deployed overseas.

Nancy Gorman’s father serves in the British Army and he deployed on operations before Christmas, his second deployment in 12 months. He won’t return home until June this year.

Nancy was enjoying the school holidays with her mother, Natalie, and her brother, Doug, when she suddenly became unwell with a high fever and was rushed to Salisbury Hospital with suspected scarlet fever. She spent the night in hospital and had to return twice over the following days for intravenous antibiotics. She was named “Little Trooper of the Month” by the charity Little Troopers for coping with adversity while her father was serving away.

Nancy also received a teddy bear from Little Troopers as part of the charity’s Christmas Smiles initiative to send teddy bear hugs to children whose parents were deployed over Christmas.

Salisbury Journal: Nancy Gorman. (Photo by Little Troopers)Nancy Gorman. (Photo by Little Troopers) (Image: Little Troopers)

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Natalie said: “Nancy is such a resilient girl. She’s coped with a lot for a five-year-old, especially having her dad deployed away twice in one year which has been tough. She’s really missed having him around and we’re all counting the days until he is back.

“Being a military child can be hard, but she is so adaptable to change, and it’s given her real life skills like being good at making new friends. She’s recently started ballet, Rainbows and skiing while her dad has been deployed and it’s been lovely to see her confidence grow. We are all so proud of her and both Nancy and her big brother Doug have been the best company and support for me during deployment too!”

Nancy will receive a medal, certificate and a £50 voucher from Little Troopers.

Louise Fetigan, founder of Little Troopers, said: “Having a parent deployed overseas is one of the biggest challenges that military children face, so to also have to go through a medical emergency during this time is especially hard for children and their families. We hope the medal reminds Nancy that she is a little trooper and she should be proud of everything she has been through.”

Little Troopers is a registered charity supporting children who have parents serving in the British Armed Forces. For more information click here.