Some of the special children we helped in 2008

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.