Sheffield Children's Hospital: Young patient's TikTok dance videos with nurses go viral with millions of views

Penny Barraclough’s nifty moves, her infectious personality and her brave approach to her treatment for a serious condition have combined to earn the six-year-old legions of fans, with one video alone racking up nearly eight million views.

Penny was diagnosed with the rare genetic condition congenital amegakaryocytic thrombocytopenia (CAMT) and had a dangerously low blood count, which left her always feeling tired, covered with bruises, having constant nose bleeds and being highly susceptible to infection. After suffering bone marrow failure, she had to undergo chemotherapy before recently having a bone marrow transplant at Sheffield Children’s Hospital in the hope it would allow her to lead a normal, healthy life.

It was while in hospital for her transplant that she began recording short dance clips, which her mother shared on TikTok and Instagram, to keep her spirits up. The nurses were invited to join in, which they did with aplomb.

“It made her happy,” says Penny’s mum, Jodie Mangham. “She turned such a negative situation into something so positive and inspiring. She’s shown such strength and continued to light up the nurses, who are always laughing when she’s around. With morale being so low in the NHS, they’ve said it makes such a difference when children are so positive, like Penny.

“The staff at the hospital have all been absolutely incredible, from the doctors and nurses to the play team and the teachers who make sure she’s not missing out on her education. Everybody there’s just gone above and beyond to make her journey so, so much easier, and Penny’s become friends with them all. We were a bit sad to leave because of how amazing they’ve been. In our eyes, nurses are real-life angels.

“I can’t believe how popular the videos have become and how many lovely comments we’ve received from people reaching out from across the world. It means a lot to know so many people are following Penny’s journey and think so highly of her.”

It is now two months since Penny had the transplant and just over three weeks since she was able to return to her home in Hemsworth, near Wakefield, though she is still back at Sheffield Children’s Hospital twice weekly for check-ups. She is doing remarkably well so far, and already has much more energy than she ever had before, though it is still early days and her mother warns that the recovery process is a long one, with setbacks likely along the way.

Penny’s friends and family launched a GoFundMe appeal to support her through her treatment and recovery, and give her mum the financial security she needs as she takes up to 18 months off work to act as a full-time carer. Jodie says the money has made a huge difference, especially since she was recently made redundant from her role as deputy manager at a play cafe.

Penny, who turned six in September and has an older sister called Phoebe, aged 10, has never had dance lessons, but her mum says she’s keen to start as soon as she’s well enough.

To donate to the fundraising appeal, visit: https://www.gofundme.com/f/s787n6-penny-rose.

To watch more of Penny’s TikTok videos, visit: https://www.tiktok.com/@jodiemangham761.