This is our daughter, Maisie-Lou, she is a bright, funny and creative little girl. She loves animals, adores her little brother and is happiest when she's drawing or creating. She has the kindest heart, and she brings so much joy to everyone who knows her. Yet, she's been quietly facing challenges that many people can't see.

In January 2025, Maisie-Lou was diagnosed with epilepsy. She started anti-seizure medication and emergency medication which we have to carry everywhere whilst navigating hospital appointments, therapies and endless waiting lists. Around the same time, her school raised concerns about her speech and language.

A sleep-deprived EEG revealed significant abnormal brain activity was affecting her speech, language, learning, memory and overall development. She was then diagnosed with suspected rare epilepsy syndrome Landau-Kleffner syndrome (LKS) and possible structural abnormality in her brain. Worse still the anti-seizure medication she has been taking since her epilepsy diagnosis may have negatively impacted her condition.

We still don't have a diagnosis that fully explains everything.

As parents, that's incredibly difficult. We aren't just worried about seizures anymore. We're worried about her speech, her learning, her development and her future. Every day without answers feels like another day we could be losing valuable time.

After sharing her medical information with specialists abroad, we were introduced to Hospital Sant Joan de Déu (SJD) in Barcelona.

For the first time in a long time, we felt hope.

SJD has extensive experience investigating complex neurological conditions like our daughter's. Their multidisciplinary team can bring together specialists from neurology, neuroradiology, neurophysiology, genetics and other fields to investigate her condition as one complete picture, giving us the best chance of finally understanding what is happening and ensuring she receives the right treatment.

We aren't travelling to Barcelona expecting a miracle.

We're travelling because we need answers.

We want to understand what is happening inside our little girl's brain. We want to know we're making the right decisions for her treatment, and we want to give her every possible opportunity to reach her full potential.

Unfortunately, this opportunity comes with significant costs. We may need to spend several weeks in Barcelona while she undergoes investigations, assessments and treatment. Between travel, accommodation, medical expenses and being away from home with another young child, the financial burden is far beyond what we can manage alone.

Asking for help is one of the hardest things we've ever had to do.

If you're able to donate, no matter how small, you'll be helping us give our daughter the opportunity to receive the specialist care and answers she deserves.

If you're unable to donate, simply sharing our story would mean more than you know.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for taking the time to read our story and for helping us fight for our little girl's future.