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On the 18th April 2004,Alethea Rose,my gorgeous little girl,was born. Unfortunately,at six days old,she had developed a serious infection which caused her to stop breathing. Because of this, Alethea was given a brain scan when she was one year old to see if her brain had been damaged, as she did not seem to be developing. This was when we discovered that Alethea had Dandy-Walker Syndrome. This condition is characterized by several malfomations of the brain, the main one being a cyst in the back of the skull which limits the growth of the brain. We found that Alethea had a large cyst, which stopped her cerebellum from forming, aswell as other malformations and hydrocephalus. We were then told that it was unlikely that Alethea would ever walk or talk,and she would probably need surgery to fit a valve into the centre of her head which would drain the excess fluid into her abdomen,and as she has a rare condition,we would need to look on the internet for further information. That was scarey.
When Alethea first began attending the Stick'n'step centre,at 18 months old,she could not sit up un-aided, and did not have full head control. Alethea also had poor vision and hearing,because of the infection,which improved slowly but surely. Four and half years later, we are in a very different position. Thanks to having two sessions a week at Stick'n'Step,with Alethea's determination and their hard work, she took her first un-aided steps a few months ago.
Stick'n'Step have enriched my life aswell as Alethea's,not just because of what they have done for Alethea,but because the staff have been so approachable and supportive. They provide such a wonderful environment,that not only can parents relax knowing that their child is truly loved and cared for,but the new parents room at the centre has allowed us to bond really well and offer eachother so much support whilst the children are having a session.
As Stick'n'Step rely on fundraising to keep the centre running,I decided that I needed to give something back this year by doing a sky-dive on the 21st May! So,please give as little,or as much as you can afford for this truly wonderful charity, and also to make the fact that I'm facing one of my worst fears worth the while!
