Our daughter Clara Elizabeth Rogers was born in February 2018 in Aberaeron.

When Clara was born she suffered hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy. This is an event that led to a lack of oxygen to her brain. Clara was so unwell, she couldnt breathe on her own, her organs were failing, and she had suffered a severe brain injury.

It felt like she was slipping away. The worst part of that day was when they wheeled me in from the hospital bed to meet Clara for the first time, it was for me to say goodbye. However, by some miracle they eventually managed to stabilize her enough to transfer her to the closest NICU, where her organs slowly started working again.

Following an MRI scan, we were told our baby girl had global brain damage, meaning damage in every area, and was diagnosed with spastic quadriplegia cerebral palsy. We were then given a long list of things Clara would not likely be able to do. She proved them wrong right from the start, by breathing on her own and feeding on her own and she continues to amaze us everyday.

Fast forward a year and we have a beautiful little girl who smiles, giggles and loves cuddles. We also have more medical issues. A visual Impairment (CVI) and secondary Microcephaly.

From the moment I realised Clara was unwell I immersed myself in research. I read, watched and reached out to anybody and everybody who I thought could help or who I could learn from. The one centre that kept coming up was the NAPA Centre in America. They use innovative types of physio and occupational therapy to help the child with their motor skills, speech and feeding.

The therapy Clara has been offered this time is something called CME, a dynamic technique used in physical and occupational therapy aimed at provoking improved postural responses in patients to promote progress.

So, here we are. Please help us get Clara to NAPA. Our main aim for Clara is to sit and, while we are slowly seeing small amounts of progress, the intensity of three weeks in Boston combined with their specialised techniques could see us get there quicker.

Thank you

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