LESS than an hour after visiting her GP, seven-year-old Chloe Fairlie was in hospital, fighting a life-threatening disease.

Thanks to a quick-thinking GP, the Knightswood schoolgirl narrowly avoided intensive care.

Her mum, Robyn, explains: “Doctors told us if we had waited even another couple of hours, Chloe’s organs would have started to fail. She could have died – it was really scary.”

The winner of the Evening Times City Building Room Makeover competition has had a tough year – but her smile has never faded.

And since the dramatic events of seven months ago, Chloe has recovered well and turned her attention to helping others.

It all began in May, when Robyn, Chloe’s dad Paul and little sister Sophie, four, were excited about the impending arrival of new baby Liam.

“About a fortnight before I went in to hospital to have Liam, Chloe had been feeling a bit unwell, complaining of sore stomachs,” explains Robyn, who works for a local bookmaker’s.

“She’d lost a bit of weight, but I had put it down to her going through a picky eating phase.

“Over the weekend I was in hospital being induced, I didn’t see Chloe until the Monday, when she came up to meet her new baby brother – and I was shocked by how pale and thin she looked.

“She could hardly muster a smile, but she was trying so hard to be happy and she didn’t complain once.”

Robyn was worried and as soon as she got home from hospital, she took Chloe to her GP.

“He did a urine test, took one look at the results, and told us to go immediately to hospital,” recalls Robyn. “We knew something was really wrong – and thank goodness he did.”

In fact, Chloe was seriously ill – doctors told Robyn and Paul their daughter was hours away from her organs beginning to fail.

She was diagnosed with DKA - diabetic ketoacidosis - a severe, life-threatening complication of Type 1 diabetes which can lead to a diabetic coma and death.

Robyn explains: “It’s a complication of diabetes and it can be life-threatening. When your body has gone too long trying to fight the diabetes, the blood starts to turn acidic and attack the internal organs.

“The hospital told us if we had been any later coming in, Chloe would have been in intensive care. It was very scary.”

Throughout it all, says Robyn, Chloe was incredibly brave.

“She never cried, she put up with cannulas in her hands and being hooked up to four machines at the one time, she just took it all in her stride,” adds her mum, her voice breaking with emotion.

“Because I’d just come out of hospital, Paul and I took turns staying with Chloe and being at home with the baby – it was crazy, but Chloe was just amazing.”

The DKA can return at any point, explains Robyn.

“If you catch a serious cold, or don’t manage the insulin properly, it can come back, but we are on top of it and Chloe is very good at managing everything she has to do,” she adds.

“She has to check her blood sugar level 10 times a day but she has a new glucose scanner – the same one Theresa May has – which means she only has to prick her finger at mealtimes; and she injects herself with insulin four times a day.

“She has to be very disciplined about eating proper portions now, but she can still have treats.”

Robyn smiles: “For her birthday, she had the biggest chocolate cake you have ever seen.”

The spirited seven-year-old is now determined to make sure other families understand how dangerous diabetes can be.

“Since coming out of hospital she has organised bake sales to raise funds for diabetes charities, we all did a 5k walk in September which raised £200 and she does presentations in front of her whole class at school,” says Robyn, proudly.

“She also attended a conference with hundreds of children with diabetes from all over the world, and that really did her good. It helped her understand see she is not alone.”

Robyn adds: “Chloe just wants to raise awareness – there are a lot of misconceptions out there about diabetes, that you get it because you ate too many sweeties, or it’s because of a poor diet. That’s not true – it’s an autoimmune disease which can happen to anyone.

“It was a really scary thing that happened to her. She wants to let people know so they can look out for the signs – and she wants to help find a cure so other children don’t have to go through it.”

Chloe is over the moon to have won the Evening Times City Building Room Makeover competition. We were inundated with nominations, but Chloe was a runaway winner with the judges. City Building’s design and manufacturing teams will now work with the family to come up with a fantastic new bedroom for the little girl.

Dr. Graham Paterson, Executive Director of City Building said: “We are delighted Chloe has won the room makeover. She has shown great determination and strength in dealing with her illness, but also in trying to spread awareness to other children.

“We are looking forward to working with Chloe to design and deliver the room of her dreams.”

Chloe, of course, has plenty of ideas on what that might look like.

“I love pink and unicorns, so I hope I can have a glittery-pink-princessy room,” she explains. “I’m really pleased I won.”

Robyn adds: “Chloe’s imagination is running riot, and we are all really excited about the makeover. We are very grateful to have won, it’s fantastic.”

She smiles: “When I think back to everything Chloe went through this year, and how little she complained, it just melts my heart. I’m so proud of her – she is my hero.”