Donation protected
Frankie was born on the 17th January 2025, after a very long and complicated labour Frankie entered the world via emergency C section not breathing due to a cord prolapse. After 14 minutes of resuscitation she was transferred to the NICU where she spent her first few days of life in a constant state of seizure due to sustaining a brain injury as a result of her birth and she didn’t sleep for almost 72 hours. With on going unmanageable seizures she was transferred to another hospital where she was diagnosed with HIE grade 2 and finally after sedation her seizures were controlled.
At 7 days old she had a MRI scan which later showed she had lots of small spots of damage all across her brain which is sadly permanent, we were told she would likely develop cerebral palsy due to her HIE and her official diagnosis of CP came when she was just 4 months old.
An external investigation into Frankie’s birth and care following birth has been undertaken and whilst this is ongoing, this however won’t change Frankie’s situation, her diagnosis or future.
Frankie is now almost 6 months and is a super happy, smiley and determined baby girl. She has proven lots of people wrong already, she came home tube fed and we were told she was unable to suck, swallow or coordinate these, but after a few weeks at home she decided she didn’t want the tube anymore, pulled it out and has been bottle fed ever since.
The only treatment options she has been offered through the NHS are supportive therapies which currently consists of a 30 minute physio session once a week which is something we couldn’t settle with. SO…
After lots of research we have been accepted to take her to The Stem Cell Institute in Panama for stem cell therapy. This is done through umbilical cord stem cells from a donor match. Whilst the damaged parts of her brain aren’t repairable, stem cell therapy enhances healthy cells in her brain and promotes regeneration and has the potential to improve the quality of her life by potentially improving cognition, coordination, movements and motor skills.
Although still in trial in the Uk this treatment is used overseas a lot and has shown to have lots of positive outcomes for lots of children with cerebral palsy but, obviously this comes at a cost. We are hoping with your help and support we can get Frankie to Pamana as soon as we can to start her ongoing treatment and hopefully improve the quality of her life for her future.
We know this is a big ask but we would be forever grateful if you could help us achieve this.
Lots of love, Callum, Grace and Frankie xxxx
More info can be found here :
Organizer
Callum Walsh
Organizer
England