Hello, my name is Louis Bishop.

Mummy and I had a very difficult time when she was pregnant with me. We spent a lot of time in the hospital, and I required five in utero blood transfusions, where donor blood was injected into Mummy’s tummy to help me.

I was born seven weeks prematurely. Mummy and Daddy couldn’t have been happier. Everything was okay, and I arrived safely.

When I was three days old, Mummy and Daddy were told unexpected news. A head scan showed abnormalities, and an MRI scan at five days old confirmed that I had suffered severe brain damage.

Mummy and Daddy asked lots of questions. The doctors told them that my condition would have a huge impact on my life and the life of my family. All we could do was wait and see if I met my milestones.

I am now seven years old and have been diagnosed with quadriplegic cerebral palsy. All four of my limbs are affected. I am unable to sit up, walk, or talk, and I also have problems with eating and drinking, so I am fed via a gastrostomy. But I always have the biggest smile for everyone! I just love people and being out and about.

I require intensive physiotherapy and hydrotherapy because I have very high muscle tone, which makes things painful and difficult. As I get older, I will need a lot of specialist equipment to continue my progress, stay healthy, and increase my independence. This is where we need your help. To get the therapy and equipment that I need, we have to pay for some of it privately, but I need it to keep me smiling and be the happy little boy everyone knows and loves!

Thank you for reading my story. I’m a very lucky little boy to have so many wonderful people looking out for me.

7.5% of all donations to Tree of Hope in relation to this appeal will be allocated to the general charitable purposes of Tree of Hope to cover our core operating costs.

If we raise insufficient funds, or surplus funds, then the funds will be used, if appropriate, to fund support for our child’s needs in accordance with Tree of Hope’s charitable objects. If in those circumstances we are unable to use all or part of the funds for the benefit of our child in accordance with Tree of Hope’s charitable objectives, then any funds that cannot be used will be transferred to be used for the general charitable purposes of Tree of Hope.