KELSEY Stratford has shared her heartache after her eight-year-old sister Kennedy was rushed to intensive care with coronavirus.
The little girl already struggles with her breathing due to life-limiting disease Spinal Muscular Atrophy.
Kelsey’s little sister Kennedy suffers from a life-limiting diseaseThe 19-year-old Towie star announced the devastating news on her Instagram page today, adding that her entire family has been left “heartbroken”.
Sharing a photo of Kennedy laying in her hospital bed with breathing tubes, Kelsey wrote: “As you can imagine me and my family are all heartbroken because yesterday Kennedy got rushed into hospital and got tested positive for Covid-19.
“She is really fighting but she has severe breathing problems as it is so I can only imagine how hard it is for her now.
“She is in intensive care.”
Kennedy was rushed to intensive care
Kelsey said ‘life is cruel’ as she shared her heartache
Kennedy was born with SMA and originally only given 18 months to live
The Essex beauty also shared a series of photos of her younger sibling, writing: “Life is so cruel 
My little sister Kennedy got rushed into hospital yesterday and tested positive for COVID19, we are all so heartbroken as kennedy has severe breathing problems from her terminal illness SMA as it is.
“So this is very dangerous for her. Kennedy was high risk to covid & we tried our best to shield her from this terrible virus but unfortunately because of her low immune system she caught it.
“She is in intensive care but really fighting like she always does, so i just need everyone to keep her in your prayers and hopefully she gets through this my strong little girl she doesn’t deserve any of this
”
She added to a separate photo of her sister in hospital: “I’m sorry my little baby, you can do this.”
Kelsey broke down in tears as she opened up about her sister on Towie in September
Her baby brother Karter tragically died from SMA aged just four months
Kennedy already struggles with breathing
In September, Kelsey broke down in tears as she opened up about her sister’s illness on The Only Way Is Essex – also revealing that Kennedy’s twin brother Karter died from the disease when he was just four months old.
Spinal Muscular Atrophy is a genetic condition that makes the muscles weak and causes problems with movement – worsening over time.
Doctors initially warned Kennedy’s family that she was unlikely to live past 18 months, with the strong little girl proving the professionals wrong.
Kelsey said of her sister at the time: “She’s got a disease called SMA, it paralyses her from the neck down but her brain is completely normal.
Kelsey stars in The Only Way Is Essex
“She’s eight but the doctors did tell us she would only live up to 18 months old, she needs 24 hour care. Since I was 12 I have basically cared for her, helped my mum.”
She also detailed the extreme lengths the family went through in a desperate bid to protect Kennedy from coronavirus, where they didn’t leave their front door for months.
The star explained: “In lockdown it was really hard for us, for three months I couldn’t leave the front door – I still haven’t even kissed her, it’s been six months. It’s scary.”
She emotionally added: “I did have a little brother who had the same disease as well but he passed away at four months.”
