Hi there, 

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

For those of you who don't know my daughter Ivy's story, last year at 4 months-old she was diagnosed with Hip Dysplacia and an under developed bone in her left hip. She had a 'clicky' hip at birth which required a standard ultra sound at 6 weeks, they said to return for a second ultra sound a few weeks later as some babies need a bit more time to develop. At the second ultra sound we got the worrying news that it was serious and she needed to be seen by a paediatric orthopaedic surgeon within days. 

I had no idea what we were dealing with, hadn't been given much information and was seriously worried. After a bit of online research I found the charity Steps and gave them a call. They were incredibly helpful, reassuring and sent us heaps of information and videos on what we were dealing with and what was to come. 

What followed was a year of endless appointments, x-rays, ultra sounds, travelling across London to different hospitals and a brace Ivy had to wear 23hrs a day. It was tough - she screamed in pain, would fight me when I tried to put her in it, had to help her learn to sleep in it, and then when they were reducing the hours sleep without it, we had to get a special car seat, high chair and clothes. There were bruises and raw skin where the brace dug into the back of her legs. And this all happened when she was supposed to be rolling, crawling and cruising around. 

At 18 months old she is now walking around, and is a very happy brace-free little girl. We still have a long road ahead of us for the next few years and there may still be more treatment but for now she is running around enjoying life like a a toddler should be (full blown tantrums kicking and screaming face down on the ground included!). 

I'd like to thank Steps charity for all it's help and that's why I decided to run a half marathon to fundraise for the charity so they can continue to support other parents and children facing childhood lower limb conditions. 

If you're able to please give even a small donation to help me show my family's appreciation I would be very grateful. 

I'd also like to thank a few people who helped Ivy and I get through the hard times - Kelly for getting me through my darkest days; Ivy's health visitor Bola for giving me a much needed talking to when I broke down; Anya for her daily support; Lana for those much needed visits at the end of the day; my mom, dad and sisters; Karen Eckersly for creating the My Hippy Baby Uk & Ireland facebook group, which I spent hours on getting ideas from parents on how to make life easier and painfree for Ivy; and last but not least Dr Peter Calder, Ivy's paediatric orthopaedic surgeon who helped us avoid two operations (one of which would have been over our first Christmas together as a family) and making sure Ivy had the best care and treatment. 

A huge thank you! 

Marcell & Ivy x

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