Our beautiful son, Tom, is two years old and the happiest little boy you could ever hope to meet. His smile lights up every room, and despite the challenges he faces every day, he continues to bring so much joy to everyone who knows and loves him.

Tom was born with a rare brain condition called Polymicrogyria and also has Cerebral Palsy. As a result of these conditions, he is not yet able to walk or speak. Everyday tasks that many of us take for granted require an incredible amount of determination, hard work and support.

Every day, Tom works tirelessly through physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, and also feeding therapy. These therapies are vital in helping Tom develop the skills he needs to become as independent as possible.

Unfortunately, many of the specialist intensive therapy programmes that offer children like Tom the greatest opportunity to progress are simply not available in Ireland. To give him the very best chance to thrive, we need to travel abroad to access intensive therapy programmes in places such as Lanzarote, Canada, Romania, the United States and the UK.

Recently, Tom completed his very first intensive therapy programme, with Swimlab International in Lanzarote, and in just one week he made incredible progress. Seeing the gains he achieved in such a short time gave us something we had been hoping for all along—it showed us just how much potential he has when he's given access to the right therapies. It also made us realise that we need to do everything we can to continue these opportunities and give Tom every possible chance to reach his full potential.

As parents, we will always fight for our Tom. We want to give him every opportunity to learn to communicate, to move more independently, and to live the fullest life possible. While we celebrate every milestone—no matter how small—the cost of specialist therapies, travel, accommodation, and ongoing treatment is far beyond what we can manage alone.

ON SEPTEMBER 12TH IN ORDER TO HELP RAISE FUNDS FOR TOMS INTENSIVE THERAPIES - NIALL , WITH A LOT OF HELP FROM OUR FRIENDS & FAMILY IS CYCLING THE DISTANCE FROM CLOGHERHEAD TO LANZAROTE!

This fundraiser will help us access these life-changing intensive therapy programmes, along with the specialist equipment and ongoing therapies that Tom needs. Every donation, no matter how big or small, will go directly towards giving him the best possible chance to build his independence and achieve milestones that many children reach without a second thought.

If you're unable to donate, sharing Tom's story with your family and friends would mean just as much to us.

Thank you for taking the time to read about our incredible little boy. Your kindness, generosity and support will help us continue fighting for Tom's future. Every step he takes, every word he finds, and every milestone he reaches will be because people believed in him and gave him the chance.

With love and gratitude,

Tom's family ❤️