Taking Steps for Electra

When we heard that a classmate of ours from school had a traumatic birth and that her little baby had been deprived of oxygen and has been left with brain damage, a group of us decided we wanted to help raise funds for this family. Anyone who loves a child, as a parent, aunt, uncle, grandparent or friend, can clearly imagine how devastating it must be to have a child who will struggle to meet their full potential. It is vital that this family is supported in a journey that can only be devastatingly difficult. 

A group of us are aiming to walk 10,000 steps a day for the month of November to raise funds for baby Electra. We would be grateful for your support!

Here is her story: 

During a traumatic birth baby Electra suffered catastrophic brain injury due to asphyxia. Electra was born with no sign of life but was eventually revived after 20 minutes. Doctors did not know if Electra would survive and we were told to prepare for the worst.

Electra fought and eventually began to breath on her own, and her intubation was removed. Her parents, Gina and Jeff, lived at the hospital for the first five months of Electra's life, and in this time she has continued to fight and achieve huge milestones, eventually starting to ‘track’ with her eyes, and with the help of surgery, to hear her mother’s voice for the first time.

She has, however, been left with permanent brain damage, is unable to swallow and requires constant suction to clear her airways as she cannot manage her own secretions. As she cannot swallow, Electra cannot eat and is fed through a gastric tube, and will be for the foreseeable future.

The extent of Electra’s brain injury and the severity of her cerebral palsy will only show itself as she grows and develops and it is the first two years of her life that are the most crucial for early intervention treatment.

Electra's parents Gina and Jeff have been doing everything in their power to give Electra access to every possible treatment that will give her the best possible chance to achieve her full potential.

One therapy treatment that Electra has responded positively to is 'The Anat Baniel NeoroMovement method', which uses groundbreaking therapy to "provide transformational help for children with special needs to overcome their limitations".

Anat Baniel herself is based at her treatment centre in San Rafael, California and it is here that Gina and Jeff plan to go early next year so Electra can have this intensive treatment in her first crucial years of development.

You can read more about the treatment here:

https://www.anatbanielmethod.com/children/cerebral-palsy

As you can imagine these early intervention treatments are prohibitively expensive and Electra will need ongoing treatment and care for the rest of her life.

Any money donated will be so deeply appreciated and will literally help to change a little girl's life, as well as helping to ease the incredible stress and trauma that burdens her family every moment of every day.

Please help Electra to access life changing treatment and help her fight for her future.

While Electra's parents Gina and Jeff focus on her medical care, Electra's Aunt, Stacey Bark (Gina's sister) is the nominated person to whom the donations raised during this campaign will be paid.  We'd like to thank Stacey for helping us deliver the funds to Gina and Jeff for the benefit of Electra.