THE devoted parents of an eight-month-old baby are considering starting a fundraising campaign in a bid raise enough money for their child to be assessed by private specialists.

The family of tiny Chloe Graham are desperate to find out what is wrong with her after a mystery illness left her unable to eat.

Her parents Amanda, 24, and Damian, 30, of Sunderland Street, Burnley said doctors at both Burnley General and Booth Hall Children's Hospital have been unable to find an explanation in regard to Chloe's illness.

Little Chloe, who weighs just 11lb 4oz is unable to keep her food down and put on weight which is making her very weak.

She is fed through a tube in her nose 16 hours a day to give her the 1000-calories-a-day needed to nourish her.

But Amanda, who also has three-year-old Declan and a nine-year-old step-son, Ashley, said Chloe, who was admitted to Booth Hall Children's Hospital on Wednesday, is sick at least five times during the night.

She said they have been waiting for an endoscopy, since March, which is a camera that may be able to identify the cause of her sickness.

Amanda said: "All the doctors and nursing staff at Burnley General have been fantastic. They couldn't do enough for us. But at Booth Hall it's just like were just another case to them.

"I was shouting at the nurse at Booth Hall on Friday night telling her to do something to help Chloe because she was so poorly.

"Her little face was bright red because she had been sick so much. The nurse then asked me 'what do you want me to do about it' which I thought was awful. If I could have taken her out of that hospital there and then I would have done. To the doctors and nurses Chloe is just another case, but to us she's our life, our little princess and we just want her to get better."

Amanda had to give up her part-time factory job when Chloe became ill and despite Damian working flat out to provide for the family working as a driver for an engineering firm although they can't afford to pay for Chloe to receive private treatment.

Amanda said: "It would be our dream to send her to a private hospital to get her sorted out. It's heartbreaking to see your daughter like this but nobody seems to be in a rush to do anything about it.

"If fundraising is the only way we can help get her better then that's what we are going to have to do.

"We haven't thought about what we are going to do yet because all our time has been focused on Chloe but we need to do something."

Damian added: "Our friends came round last night with their newborn baby and instead of joy and happiness we felt empty because our Chloe was not here. It was such a strange feeling. Nobody understands the pain and anguish that we have to go through every day.

"We know that magic wands don't exist but all we are asking is for tests to be carried out. It's the not knowing that is the hardest part, we just want Chloe to be like any other baby."

A spokesman for Booth Hall Hospital said: "Chloe was referred to the hospital in March and was seen in April when she was placed on the waiting list for a procedure. The Government targets are that patients should wait no longer than 12 months for an inpatient or daycase procedure. Chloe will be seen within this time period."