We’re fundraising for our son who was born at 24weeks to support him on his journey to independence.

Being born so early came with 3 months in NICU where he overcame so many obstacles.

As a result of his prematurity, he has Cerebral Palsy which mostly affects his left side. He is still unable to stand on his own, walk independently or crawl conventionally.

The damage from the bleed on the brain also caused Cortical Vision Impairment (CVI), this impacts on his ability to process what he is seeing as most people would.

He had Retinopathy of Prematurity which led to laser eye surgery at 8 weeks old to save his sight.

In addition, he is also susceptible to being more unwell with viruses such as flu and RSV which has resulted in week long stays in hospital on oxygen.

Lastly, he has epilepsy which is generally controlled by medication although we still experience regular seizures.

We are looking to fundraise to support our son with his journey. The money raised will go towards regular physio sessions with SHARC, including hydrotherapy and intensive therapy called Dynamic Movement Intervention (DMI). Furthermore, we are regularly purchasing equipment to support him and are currently waiting on an electric wheelchair (Tiny Trax) which will be an upgrade from his Wizzybug.

We are waiting on the outcome of a referral for SDR surgery which is extremely invasive and will require intensive therapy to relearn a lot of skills. Input from the NHS is sadly limited following surgery and therefore will require a lot of private physio.

We are still learning a lot about his development and what he will/won’t achieve. We try to provide as many opportunities as we can and explore equipment options we can purchase to support him achieve his goals. So far he has amazed us with the progress he has made.