A SUSPECTED arson attack has ruined vital medical supplies needed by a Bordon teenager waiting for a kidney transplant. Rachel Howlett, 16, of Windermere Road, has end- stage renal failure and requires 10 hours of dialysis per night. Spare equipment for her treatment - including dialysis fluid, specialist hand wash, and tubing - was stored in a shed in the back garden of her home. But at around 1pm last Thursday, a fire began, destroying the shed and all the equipment it contained. Rachel's mother, Corene Howlett, said: "I think it's disgusting that someone could do something like this on purpose. We're still in shock. "I just cannot think of how this happened. There's no electricity in that shed and nothing flammable. "Even after the fire was extinguished, the tracker dogs didn't pick up any smells of accelerant. "It's just such a needless thing to do, as well as a complete waste. "We needed to get emergency supplies delivered, which are now stacked in the dining room, and none of the equipment is cheap." Rachel, who works at Wilkinson in the town, has just finished her GCSEs and is hoping to go to college in September. Her mother said: "She's an ambitious girl and, although she does get frustrated sometimes, she wants to live life as normally as she can. "It can be hard at times, but we just have to accept that this is the hand that we've been dealt and we need to get on with it. We need to stay positive." Rachel became ill when she was six and doctors diagnosed renal failure. At that time, Rachel's kidney function was just 20 per cent. She also had high blood pressure, which has led to hearing loss - Rachel can no longer hear higher frequencies, including the alarm on her dialysis machine, the telephone or the smoke alarm. Ms Howlett said: "Unfortunately, as she's started to grow up, her body has said 'enough's enough' and her condition has got much worse. "Last year, she became very, very poorly and we were told that her kidney function is now just nine per cent. It was then that she was put on the transplant list and we decided on doing peritoneal dialysis at home." The peritoneal method cleans the blood while inside the body instead of through an artificial membrane on the outside of the body. However, having the treatment at home means that the extra equipment needs to be stored on site, but due to the amount of fluid needed, the family needed to store it in a shed. The shed was donated to the family by the Bordon and Liphook Charity last year. "I'm a single parent and the help from the Bordon Charity came as such a relief at a very difficult time," Ms Howlett said. "They really were fantastic and we were incredibly grateful. "This (fire) is such a blow and I'm in no position to replace the shed at the moment. We have to start all over again. Everything will just have to stay in the dining room for now. "Rachel was really upset to hear about it too. It was just completely overwhelming for her. It is hard enough for Rachel anyway, having to be attached to this machine for 10 hours at a time, especially when she should be out having fun like a normal 16-year-old, but that's just not possible." The cause of the blaze is being investigated by police, and the incident is being treated as suspicious. Pc Jonathan Earnshaw, who is based at Alton Police Station, said: "This was a serious incident and we are appealing to members of the public to help with our investigation. We are keen to hear from anyone who may have witnessed the fire or who saw anything suspicious in the area at the time." Ms Howlett said: "We live in a very close-knit community so it's a complete mystery how this has happened." Anyone with information should contact Pc Earnshaw on 0845 0454545 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.
