A FOUR-YEAR-OLD girl who has spent half her life in and out of the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital has sung the praises of staff who have helped her.

Esmae Hocken was diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome when she was two and has been treated at the Brighton hospital ever since.

And at a celebration to mark its tenth year at its “new” site at the Royal Sussex County Hospital, young Esmae presented Princess Alexandra with a bouquet of flowers to mark the special occasion.

The princess is patron of the hospital.

Esmae, from Handcross, has developed a rapport with all the staff there, in particular play specialist Amy Farmer.

The hospital is a loving environment which the youngster looks forward to visiting.

She said: “I like going into the play area and spending time with Amy. It’s great.

“We play in the fish area which is my favourite. I love coming here.”

The “fish area” is a sensory room that projects fish around the room. It was part-funded by the Rockinghorse charity, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

Esmae’s disease causes large amounts of protein to be lost in urine, which increases the chances of her catching infections and makes body tissues swell.

During Esmae’s time at the hospital, Amy has helped her overcome her fear of needles and made the place somewhere fun rather than intimidating.

Amy, 26, said: “When Esmae first came here she was very anxious and nervous about visiting.

“She used to get very scared about blood tests, which she had frequently, because of the needles.

“I helped Esmae overcome this by using needles and pretending to take blood from teddy bears.

“This really helped her get over the fear and she is excited to come here now.”

When she was first admitted to the Royal Alex, Esmae had to make weekly visits to receive medication.

Gradually she required less medication, and her visits became monthly. Now she is down to one visit every three months.

Esmae’s relationship with Amy was evident at the event yesterday.

She could not leave her side the whole time she was there and insisted on playing with Amy, who added: “It makes it as positive as possible for the children.”

The hospital moved from its Dyke Road building ten years ago, with a drastic modernisation taking place.

Some of its life-saving equipment is funded by money raised from Rockinghorse, its official fundraising arm.

Esmae presented the flowers to Princess Alexandra, who in return gave Esmae a rose from the bouquet.

Esmae’s mother, Terri, spoke highly of the hospital.

She said: “Everyone is good at what they do here, they are so helpful. Having people like Amy here makes it a different environment for the children so that it doesn’t feel like a hospital – it makes it fun for them in a way. The whole place is just absolutely fantastic. We couldn’t ask for more from the hospital.”