A YOUNG Albion supporter who suffers from a rare genetic disorder has been named the club's fan of the season.
Fans have not been able to go to many football matches over the last year because of Covid restrictions.
Izzy Humphrey, however, has managed to show her support for Albion whenever possible.
The ten-year-old began her love of the game five years ago after receiving match tickets from Albion footballers while in hospital for her Glutaric Aciduria Type 1 (GA1) condition.
She is devoted to Albion and supports both the men's and women's teams.
Izzy, from Burgess Hill, was able to go to the matches against Chelsea, Southampton and Manchester City, and a couple of the women's games.
Her mother Natalie Ellis and siblings Demi and Bobby were also named fans of the season.
Natalie said: "Getting the award was great. We did not expect it. The club interviewed us and we thought it was just about our lockdown experience.
"It's fantastic that the club have done something so lovely. Izzy is very cognitively able, just like any other ten-year-old. She loves going to football.
"Not being able to go to games over the last year was difficult for her."
GA1 is a genetic metabolic disorder which means the body can't process certain amino acids, causing a harmful build-up of substances in blood and urine.
Natalie said: "Generally speaking, she is fine, but when children with GA1 are unwell, their metabolism does not work correctly. If they are not given the proper care, they can suffer from brain damage, and that is what happened when she was a baby.
"We did not know she had it when she was born."
Izzy has also has dystonia, which makes her muscles contract uncontrollably, controlled by a deep brain stimulator. However, the equipment broke during the lockdown, and she needed brain surgery to repair it.
But Izzy remained in good spirits as she watched the football on television.
Natalie said: "The last year has been challenging during the lockdown; she ended up in London for emergency brain surgery.
"Even through that, she was still focused on football. It helped distract from everything horrible going on."
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