Let’s Rally for Aimee

From the day my beautiful sister Aimee was born three months too soon, weighing just 2lb 6oz, she has been fighting for her life.

She battled E.coli and meningitis as a newborn. She developed hydrocephalus and needed emergency brain surgery before she ever got the chance to just be a baby. Since then, Aimee has endured 30 brain surgeries. Thirty times our family has kissed her forehead, handed her to surgeons, and waited in fear and hope for her to come back to us.

And every single time, she has shown strength beyond her years.

But almost three years ago, Aimee’s world turned upside down.

After everything she had already overcome, she developed low-pressure brain symptoms. Since then, she has been bed-bound 95% of the time. She hasn’t stepped inside a school building in over two years. There’s been no normal teenage life, no independence, no time with friends — just the four walls of her bedroom.

Lying completely flat is the only relief she gets from the relentless head pain, the sickness, the overwhelming dizziness and the off-balance feeling that comes the moment she tries to sit or stand.

Aimee has two shunt devices implanted in her brain — one draining a cyst and the other draining cerebral spinal fluid. These shunts work on gravity, and when she is upright, she experiences symptoms similar to her brain ventricles collapsing. Watching her try to push through that pain is absolutely heartbreaking.

Over the past two years, she has undergone multiple surgeries and procedures in Glasgow, many of which have come with complications. Her incredible Neuro team have done everything they possibly can, but they have now reached the limits of local expertise.

That is why my Mum and Dad are travelling to London.

Aimee has been referred to the specialist Neuro Surgery team at Queen Square, where she will undergo further testing and more complex brain surgeries. This means more procedures, more hospital stays, and more pain for her body — all in the hope of giving her a better quality of life.

Due to the family stress of what Aimee will undergo during her time in London we are aiming to minimise as much of the stress in other areas.

With London being far away from our home this will cause hardships financially. My mum and dad both need to be with aimee as they have been by her side during every hospital stay and surgery , this will cause a strain financially with the costs of travelling back and forth from London to glasgow as well as accommodation costs for my dad having to pay a hotel for every night that aimee is in hospital as this will be ongoing for months until aimee’s treatment is completed. Due to Aimee being 17 and not in a children’s hospital anymore there is less support offered and my Mum will only be allowed to stay with Aimee and the every day costs of being away from home will escalate daily and all the bills at home in glasgow will give added stress to an already worrying and stressful situation . My Mum and Dad need to just focus on Aimee and getting her better, therefore, any help given would be greatly appreciated by the entirety of our family.

My Mum and Dad have never accepted or asked for any help before now but as their daughter i will do everything i can do to ease their worries and this is why this page has been created.

For 17 years, Aimee has fought every single day. My Mum and Dad have fought right beside her. They will never stop. But right now, they need a little extra help.

So many of you have watched Aimee grow. You’ve celebrated her milestones. You’ve called her our miracle — and she truly is.

The photo used above was from one of the best days of Aimee’s life, the Make a Wish Foundation granted Aimee’s dream wish to meet Niall Horan, this was before her condition deteriorated as much as it has done. We are praying the specialist professor neurosurgeon can perform a miracle and give her a chance of having days like this again.

If you are able to donate, no matter how small, or even just share this page, you are helping give Aimee the best chance at getting her life back.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for seeing how unbelievably strong aimee really is and thank you for taking the time to read this.

With love and gratitude,

Abbie

*i can’t thank everyone enough for all the support for my mum, dad and aimee it means so much to the entire family and will help immensley , ive worked out the costs for a 6 month period and this will cost over £10000- therefore i have upped the goal but again don’t feel the need to donate a share is just as helpful.