Hannah was born on 2nd July 1999 in Hemel Hempstead Hospital, however, it soon became apparent that she was having difficulties suckling and was diagnosed with a “TOF” – a Tracheo Oesophageal Fistula, meaning that the passage linking her throat to her stomach was blocked, and she also had a rare heart defect. Hannah was rushed to Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital for a successful operation on her windpipe.

Hannah would need a further operation to repair her heart, but this was delayed to allow her to grow stronger. On 1st June 2000, one month short of her first birthday Hannah had an eight hour operation to repair a hole in the top of her heart, realign the main artery which straddled the hole and remove excess heart muscle. The following day she suffered an internal blood surge and heart attack “Because they resuscitated her I assumed she’d be fine,” recalls Hannah’s mum Julia, “but when they weaned her off pain medication, she was like an animal in agony”. A scan showed severe brain damage due to oxygen starvation following the heart attack, Hannah’s parents were told that Hannah’s brain damage was so severe that she would not be able to see or hear and would effectively be one up from a vegetable. Hannah would not be able to recognize her parents, to eat or drink, to walk or talk or to smile or react.

About a month later Hannah smiled for the first time.

Since then Hannah has benefited from a programme of intensive physiotherapy, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and hydrotherapy at the Children’s Trust Centre in Tadworth. She is now attending a very special school, the Hornsey Trust where she is challenged and joyful in her new-found communication and involvement in the world around her.

Hannah is no longer a bystander in her own life. She excitedly greets each new task in school and vocalizes her enjoyment and engages others in play. However Hannah still needs your help and support in her marathon journey, so please support my pounding of the miles for Hannah who smiles! And a whole lot more too!

Who are the Hornsey Trust?

The Hornsey Trust is a very special place tucked away in Muswell Hill, North London.  Children at the Trust come from all over London and the South East as it is the only specialist centre for children with cerebral palsy providing Conductive Education.  Conductive Education is a form of learning that challenges the children’s disabilities with an intensive programme of activities both mental and physical incorporated within the normal curriculum. 

For some children, just sitting is extremely difficult and at any other “special” school they would be in supported seating all day, pushed from one area of school to another. A passive world. 

At Hornsey the children are taught independence within their own disability and communication is one of the greatest aids to independence, both in school and in the rest of their childhood.  With something as simple as sitting, if your brain is never taught, how will it ever do it?.  If you do not sit properly then the muscles slacken and posture becomes an issue.

This then has a knock on effect to the rest of your body, leading to real problems that can be life threatening in later life. 

It is a common misconception that children with cerebral palsy are also mentally impaired. This is usually not the case. An 8 year old with cerebral palsy has the same thoughts, needs and emotions as any other 8 year old - however, because of their physical limitations it is extremely hard for them to convey any desires to the outside world. Just think how frustrating it must be to have all these thoughts and ideas and not be able to communicate them to anyone!

Hannah by the Hornsey Trust

“One of our children Hannah joined school in Parent & Child classes and started to come out of a very bleak world that she was living in.  How hard to be a normal little girl trapped in a body that did not work for her.  Given a freedom from her chair or being held, she began to move her head to the sides and gain control of its movement, so no longer was she simply looking at the floor the whole time unless strapped or tilted.

She slowly began to control her fine motor skills and her hands became less fisted.  How can you teach a child to write, paint, play or wave if they are unable to open their hands.  To see her 5 years on as our first Key Stage II child is incredible. 

Hannah is able to sit independently, is very competitive when it comes to school work, feeds herself hand over hand with help, has become very sociable and is motivated to achieve so many things herself and with a dignity which will assist her when it comes to being classed as a disabled adult at 16 (in a system that cannot cope) and is ‘happy’ and well.

Happy in school and out because she is now not in pain from spasms; she is drug free because her tone and muscles have such a huge amount of input from the programmes; she replicates normal movement by walking and sitting and being well.  She can now be an active participant in her own life rather than be totally controlled by either stopping things hurting or worried about what is going on about her that is out of her control.

As with many of the parents at the School, Hannah’s family have had to fight local authorities and go to legal process to gain places at Hornsey.  The Trust can only do so much to support the children and their families through what is already a hard enough time. Just to maintain the services we offer our shortfall is £200k + a year which needs to be raised through fundraising. 

We would like to offer help to more families but our resources will not allow at present.  School therefore is on such a tight budget just providing the direct service. 

Please give as much as you can to support Hannah and the excellent work of the Hornsey Trust.

Thank you for visiting my fundraising page. Please dig deep and sponsor me online.

Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me: The Hornsey Trust for Children with Cerebral Palsy will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.

So please sponsor me now!

Many thanks for your support, Finally finished in a very slow time, but given the lack of training and injuries this year I was just pleased to get around! Next year I promise to be quicker then I might finish before the market packs up!

Peter