Holiday reward for brave Bethany

Bethany Evans had a six-hour operation to treat her illness

A seven-year-old girl from Swansea who was born with a complicated bladder condition has been sent on holiday to Majorca to reward her bravery.

Doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) nominated Bethany Evans for the trip after she underwent two operations and a string of intrusive procedures.

Bethany and her family will also attend the star-studded charity premiere of a new show on the island on Saturday.

Her father, Carl Evans said Bethany had been "brilliant" throughout her ordeal.

Bethany was born with Primary Female Epispadias, a birth condition that made her incontinent.

Her parents Carl and Michelle had struggled to find out what was wrong with her after it became apparent Bethany could not be potty trained and she was sent for several tests.

She was eventually referred to GOSH, one of only two locations in the UK that specialise in the condition, and underwent her first operation to give her control of her bladder at the age of three.

In 2006, Bethany had a follow-up six-hour operation at the hospital to give her further control. This involved surgeons operating between her navel and her groin and reconstructing the two muscles around the bladder neck.

Bethany handles it all much better than my wife and I do Carl Evans

It will be two years before consultants know whether the procedure has been a total success. But her parents said dramatic improvements had already been identified.

Had the operation failed, Bethany, who has a 10-year-old sister Rhianne and a 13-year-old brother Jonathan, would have had to have a catheter for the rest of her life.

"She has been brilliant all the way through this," said her father. "Bethany handles it all much better than my wife and I do."

Courage

Bethany's family are one of six from the UK who were picked to go to Majorca by GOSH in recognition of their courage in dealing with various illnesses.

"The hospital staff have been absolutely fantastic to us throughout Bethany's illness," said Mr Evans. "The treatment we had has been unparalleled.

"The news about the trip to Majorca was also completely out of the blue and has been a real boost for all of us."

The charity premiere of the Pirates Adventure 2007 show will raise funds for the hospital and will also be seen by celebrities such as radio presenter Danny Baker, EastEnders' Pasty Palmer and Steve McFadden, and former boxing champion Nigel Benn.