Chelsea is so snug in her new bed

Little Chelsea suffers from Triple X Syndrome which means she was born with an extra X chromosome. Chelsea also has problems with her Liver, Spleen, Hips and Spine and has limited sight and hearing.. Chelsea is unable to support herself and has very poor muscle tone. Although Chelsea is 3 years old she is tiny enough to wear cloths for a 6-9 month old baby. Chelsea was in need of a specialised bed to protect her tiny body from curving any further and to give her the correct posture for her internal organs. Thanks to Wipe Away Those Tears Chelsea now has  her new bed. We have received some lovely emails from Chelsea and her family thanking us for our help.

Emel loves her Kangaroo Bike

Emel is 9 years old and has an unbalanced chromosome disorder which affects her communication, feeding, learning, sleeping, balance, co-ordination etc. Emel desperately wanted to go out riding on a bike and although she has a special needs trike she could only cycle a short distance before getting very tired and she was getting too heavy for her mum to pull her along. We provided Emel, and her mum, with a Kangaroo Bike which is something that Emel"s mum can ride with Emel sitting safely in the seat provided for her. We hope that Emel will be happy riding to school, the shops and the park.

Callum and his family go to Disneyland

After a very traumatic and difficult birth Callum was left with many problems. As he had spent a great deal of time in hospital he had never been away on holiday. We were approached by Callum"s mum, Jane, who asked if we could help with a trip to Disneyland, Paris for Callum and his elder brother Connor, who also deserved a treat. We arranged the trip for Callum, his Mum and his brother Connor and upon their return we received a lovely email from Jane who said: "Thank you again for sending us to Disneyland Paris (you even sorted out the weather for us!).  It was so special, we managed to take Callum onto a lot of rides and he responded so well to all of them.  I've attached some photos for you. Thank you again, we now have some incredible memories of Callum and he has had an experience that I never thought possible".
 

Harry Exercises on his Trampoline

Harry Wills is 3 years old and suffers from Cerebral Palsy, giving him a weakness on one side of his body which has delayed his speech and many other skills. At a recent assessment it was recommended that Harry should exercise on a Trampoline. Once again Wipe Away Those Tears came to the rescue and supplied Harry with a Trampoline.

Josh loves looking at his Bubble Tube

Josh has 70% brain damage, Cerebral Palsy and numerous other problems. He suffers most of the day with really bad spasms and the only thing that calms him down are the lights in a sensory room. We have provided Josh with a Bubble Tube and hope that he has many happy hours looking at it.

Evie gets access to the garden

Emma Saunders wrote to us telling us about her 2 lovely daughters, Katie 9 & Evie 5. Evie has severe Cerebral Palsy caused by lack of oxygen at birth, she is unable to walk or talk but she has learnt to sit up. Emma explained that access to their garden was a problem as they did not have a step or patio and there was a 2 foot drop from the back door to the garden. Due to this it was almost impossible for Evie to venture out into the garden. As a lone parent Emma could not afford the work needed to make the garden accessible for Evie so once again Wipe Away Those Tears were there to help. We arranged for a patio to be laid which gave Evie and her sister easier access to the garden. We have since received an email from Emma telling us: " I can't believe what a difference being able to easily access the garden has made to myself and the girls".

George Stands on his own 2 feet

George Scotton has Cerebral Palsy caused by contracting meningitis as a premature baby. He has very limited physical ability and is unable to walk or talk. George uses a prone stander at school which is very beneficial to him, it allows him to weight bear and is excellent for his posture. George had spinal surgery in May 07 to correct scoliosis and the stander has enabled him to have a good "Stretch Out" as he is in a chair most of the day. It has recently been discovered that George has a dislocated hip, however, the surgeon at Great Ormond Street is reluctant to put George through an operation as it would be of no benefit to him as he does not walk. However, he did stress that standing is good for George. Wipe Away Those Tears has provided George with the much needed Stander and we have been told by him mum, Tracy, that he is very happy and can stand for almost 1 hour.

Katie walks in the water

Katie Ben-Aderet is an 11 year old girl with Cerebral Palsy, autism, epilepsy and complex learning difficulties. Up until 6 months ago Katie was able to walk with a slightly unsteady gait, however, she has recently lost her ability to walk unaided. She is soon to have an operation at Great Ormond Street to release her hamstrings. After 2 weeks in plaster she will wear straight leg callipers for a further month. Katie will then need lots of physiotherapy and hydrotherapy sessions would also be excellent for her as Katie loves swimming,  so she would be exercising whilst having some fun. Wipe Away Those Tears have funded a course of hydrotherapy sessions for Katie.

Kirsty Louise gets a new home for her medical supplies

Kirsty-Louise Brooksbank is nearly 12 and severely mentally and physically disabled with Cerebral Palsy. She is also partially blind, epileptic, dietary needs, tube fed etc.Kirsty's parents needed to adapt the family home which included extending Kirsty's bedroom to accommodate a new bed for her, however, this took away most of the storage space used for Kirsty's medication. Wipe Away Those Tears has provided the family with a new  garden shed which will accommodate all of Kirsty's medical supplies.

Lucas gets his Bench

Lucas Spicer is 2 ½ years old and lives in Purfleet with his Mum Laura and Dad Wayne. Lucas is unable to sit or control his head.  Lucas recently attended a block of therapy treatment at a specialist centre where they worked on developing his sitting and head control using a height adjustable bench. Unfortunately this equipment is not funded by any statutory organisation and they are generally deemed the responsibility of parents to provide. Having the bench would greatly help Lucas and his family by enabling them to work on developing his sitting and head control which will in turn help with communication. Wipe Away Those Tears were happy to purchase the bench for Lucas.

Millie is so happy on her Swing

Millie Crocombe has a rare genetic disorder called Aicardi syndrome. Aicardi syndrome is a very rare syndrome and only occurs in girls, the main markers are seizures, brain abnormalities, agenesis of the corpus callosum, scoliosis, hand malformation, severely impaired sight, and severe developmental delay, the syndrome is also life limiting due to ill heath problems. Millie is 2 and a half and has daily seizures which are called infantile spasms which are also a rare form of seizure, Millie’s development is at 4-5months level. Millie cannot crawl, sit up, walk, talk but is a happy child when well. Millie spends lots of time in and out of hospital due to reoccurring chest infections as she has some lung damage due to aspirating.  Millie is fed via a feeding tube directly into her tummy and doesn’t eat orally at all. Millie recently spent 5 weeks in hospital, two of them being in intensive care as she had aspiration pneumonia and was very ill. Millie spent 12 days on a life support machine and nearly didn’t pull through. This put a huge strain on the family as they have 4 girls and Millie is the third child. After her recovery Millie’s  grandparents treated the family to a holiday to Norfolk  and  while they  were away Millie’s parents  attempted to take  her on the swings but as Millie is very heavy and does not hold her own body weight it was difficult, however,  the  little time she spent on the swing  she loved and the motion  seemed to make her very relaxed. This inspired them to enquire about a special needs swing, as which they found to be extremely expensive and due to the 5 week hospital stay they were in financial difficulty and could not afford a swing for Millie. Once gain, Wipe Away Those Tears came to the rescue and provided Mille with her swing.

A new Car Seat for Arnie

Logan gets to play outside

We received a lovely letter from Fiona Oxley-Goody telling us all about her son, Logan. At 2 years old Logan was diagnosed with severe Low functioning Autism compounded by significant global developmental delay. The implications of this are that at 6 years old Logan is still incontinent, he is unable to speak and to date has no comprehension of sign language or picture/exchange communication. This lack of communication causes him lots of frustration leading to bouts of extreme violence which cause him to kick, bite, scratch, pinch and punch, both to himself and others should they try to intervene to prevent him from harming himself. Logan's mum needed a secure place in the garden where Logan would not come to any harm but could be left for short periods of time. Wipe Away Those Tears have provided a decked area in the garden which is both safe and secure.

Sensory Room for Olivia

Olivia Penfold is 9 years old and suffering from low functioning ASD. Olivia is very hyper all day long and doesn't have a regular sleep pattern. Olivia"s mum is trying to create a sensory room in the house for Olivia as it would make a difference to both their lives if her sensory needs were met. It would be somewhere for Olivia to calm down or just to go and have time out,. We have supplied the sensory equipment for Olivia"s special room.

Honey loves her Trike

In March 2008 we were approached by the parents of Honey Lock. Honey had recently been diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy and at 2.6 years old was unable to walk. Honey’s parents commented as follows: “We have been on the waiting list for an appointment with Wheelchair Services for another mode of transport but at this time we are still awaiting an assessment and as a family we are finding it increasingly more difficult in this summer weather to interact together. We have always maintained an active lifestyle together as we all enjoy the outdoor ironment,  this makes us all frustrated due to the fact that she is growing rapidly and we can only carry her short distances. Our personal experiences within our local health authority have been nothing but disappointment as they have no money, which basically means our daughters life suffers and all our lives can suffer as we struggle to maintain a normal lifestyle without the constant reminder that we have a disabled only child”.Due to the generous support we receive, Wipe Away Those Tears was able to respond with the good news that Honey would receive a much needed Trike.

Joe travels in Style & Comfort

As a result of a stroke in the womb Joe Maguire suffers from Hemiplegia Cerebral Palsy. Joe is able to walk but amongst many other things has poor balance and mobility problems. Joe needed a new Car Seat and desperately needed some new clothes. His mum explained that as a one parent family she was finding it a struggle. Once again Wipe Away Those Tears waved its magic wand and provided a car seat and clothes.

Jack sleeps tight & travels safely

Another of our Special Children is Jack Ball who suffers with autism ADHD and challenging behaviour. Jack had used his bed as a trampoline causing it to fall apart. We have supplied Jack with a new bed and also supplied a vehicle harness as Jack’s mum was finding it difficult to drive with Jack as he was attempting to get out of the car. Jack is now travelling safely with his new harness and sleeping tight in his new bed.

Bubble Tube for Lily

Lily  Murphy was born in May 2007 suffering from “Partial Trisomy 13”, a genetic condition which means she has part of an extra chromosome. Although Lily is a beautiful happy child the condition means she has a number of serious health problems including Micropthalmia, a condition where the eyes stop growing during pregnancy. As a result her eyes are only 40% the size of a normal child, she has cataracts and a detached retina. Lily was also born with extra fingers, toes and a tongue tie. Lily’s mum, Rachael, told us that they attended First Step once a week and how Lily loved the sensory room. The lights stimulate the little light perception she has and also stimulates her sense of touch. Rachael asked if there was any way that Wipe Away Those Tears could contribute towards a Bubble Tube for Lily and of course our answer was YES. In the words of Rachael “You have made a little girl very Happy”.

Remee loves her Bubble Tube

Remee is 2 years old and has a life limiting condition, severe epilepsy and is on a gastro feeding tube. We were told by Remees’ Portage Worker that the only time she seemed to have any relief was when she was in the special nursery sensory room. We provided a Bubble Tube and Fibre Optics for her home and  Remee’s mum wrote and told us how good it was to see Remee enjoying the equipment and how it had also given family members the opportunity to see Remee enjoying the experience

Tom loves to be beside the Seaside

Tom Arnold desperately wanted to go on a caravan holiday to the seaside. Tom was diagnosed with Autism in September 07 and also has severe speech and language delay and hyper mobile joints. His mum told us that “with all Tom’s problems the seaside is one of the few things he really enjoys and would be something that Tom would really look forward to”. Wipe Away Those Tears was able to send Tom and his family on a much needed holiday to the seaside.

Amelia gets her own Projector Package

Amelia Slattery is 3.6 and suffers from a condition known as Microcephaly which basically means “small brain”. This has caused severe development delay, her current abilities are that of a 10-12 month old baby. Amelia had great trouble sleeping and was also head butting and punching her own head when she should have been getting off to sleep. Her mum approached Wipe Away Those Tears asking if we could help with the purchase of a Projection Package for Amelia. This is something she had enjoyed during her stay in hospital and the light show produced from the projector had a calming effect on her. Amelia now has her very own Projector Package.

Helping Cameron to get on his feet

This little boy has been through so much in his first 4 years. After a traumatic birth Cameron White deteriorated and his parents were told there was no hope for him. He was then operated on for Necrotizing Enterocolitis, the operation was a success but Cameron then contracted E Coli Septicaemia from the operation and there was no more that could be done for him apart from give him every available antibiotic. After many blood transfusions and skin grafts and lots of ups and downs he miraculously survived. Cameron has been left with lots of scarring from the blood poisoning and is due for more surgery on his legs. Another blow came when at 2 years old he was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. Cameron has been having Conductive Education to help him achieve independent walking and attend  a mainstream school. Cameron is currently having one session per week but his parents have been told by his conductive educator that he needs and would benefit greatly from 3 sessions per week. Wipe Away Those Tears are paying for the additional sessions and hope that Cameron is soon walking and going to mainstream school, we are sure he will be.

A new home for Adam's equipment

Adam Lovells'  mum, Michelle, wrote to us explaining that Adam has an undiagnosed condition which is similar to Cerebral Palsy.  Adam is visually impaired, epileptic and has to be fed via a gastrostomy tube. Adam also has development delay and has endured numerous operations in his short life. Adam needs lots of equipment to help him cope with every day needs which take up a great deal of space,  and he has recently acquired an Electric bed which takes up most of the space in his room, leaving no space for storage of his equipment, medication and tube feeding needs.  Michelle asked if we could help with the purchase of a garden shed to help with the storage of Adams equipment.

More Special Children

Alex & Lewis Green, Antonia Wiseman, Arnie Forecast, Ashton Greenhalgh-Sharon, Beth Dartnell, Billy Grisley, Billy Harrop, Bradley Smith, Bradley Wilkes,  Charlotte Ryan,  Chloe Harrup, Daniel Hilton, Demi-Ray Venables, Ellis Broome, Edward Matthews, , Finlay Barnes, Freddie Rippingale, , Gina Smith & Family, Harrison Groom, , Harry Sinclair, James Horsley, Jake Hall, Jamie Coombes, Johnathan Creckendon, Jay & Kyle Langton,  Liam & Lewis Oliver,  Luke Watts, Martin Young, Mitchell & Lewis Staines, Niels Walter,  Ryan Smith, Rylei Chancellor Moore, Sam Marston, Sam Robinson, Samantha Bundy, Samuel Wright, Shelby Burridge, Tracy Layton & Family