Giving Charlie a Voice

Hello All!

For those of you who don't know, Charlie is a four-year-old Aussie girl living with Rett Syndrome. Rett is a genetic neurological disorder that means Charlie will never speak, is unable to sign because of declining fine motor control, and is unlikely ever to walk unaided. There is no effective treatment for her condition, meaning that the road ahead is no easy highway. Despite all of her challenges, Charlie meets every day - and every person - with smiles and wide-eyed optimism, and is the light of our lives. She loves grapes and hates baked beans, loves swings but hates slides, loves her brother and sisters and is quite the little personality once you get to know her. She has a lot to say to those who take the time to 'read' her eyes! And that's what this is all about...

Recently, we had the chance to trial an amazing system that could allow Charlie - for the first time in her life - to tell us in her own words how she feels, what she wants and needs. If she could only tell us 'yes' or 'no' (and we hope for so much more), it would change her life significantly.

We have always believed that Charlie is 'in there', capable and ready for learning and communication. During our short trial period, she proved to everyone beyond doubt that this is completely true. The short video you can see here shows her playing one of this great system's learning games - the red dot is completely under Charlie's control, and you can just see how much she understands what's happening, and enjoys the game. For a child whose every physical, social, and emotional need cannot be met without significant assistance, you can imagine how freeing this must have been for her! We were simply astounded at how quickly she picked it up.

We've decided to keep Charlie back from starting school this year in the hope that we can get her some equipment of her own to work with. If she can learn even basic communication skills, her participation in classroom life will be much more valuable.

This equipment has been quoted at AU$17,100. This doesn't include the learning software, nor any speech therapy sessions to learn how to effectively use it. We've applied for some funding to get us started, but there will be a big gap we have to fill, and we just can't do it alone.

We're asking for help from friends and family, and with Charlie's fifth birthday fast approaching (March 31), it seemed like a great time to put the word out.

Thank you for reading, and even if you can't donate we thank you for any warm thoughts you can send our way - and please share our campaign if you can (you never know!).

We look forward to the day when Charlie will be able to thank you for herself. :)