Updated September 2018

Since the last update Dexter and Tiana have a new garden!!

Thanks to the generosity of a lot of local people and businesses, and funds already raised, the garden was completed on 7th September. You can read about it on the link below.

Dexter's garden

Although the garden is done there are still some things we can add to enhance it and there is plenty of other equipment the family need to help support Dexter as he grows, so fundraising continues!

Thank you all for all the support to date, it helps to make things possible for this lovely little boy and his family . BRING ON THE BEAST!!

Updated August 2018

2 down 1 to go………

We completed the Sprint and Super on a wet weekend in April and are now motoring towards “The Beast” in October.

Since April Mia and Chloe have successfully enlisted Bailey, Eli, Grace and Salvi to take part in the kids race with them and Tiana, they are Dexter’s Mini Muddy Funkers!

Since April Dexter has been through a lot, including turning 3! He is currently at The Children’s Hospice in Tadworth receiving vital rehabilitation to help him get back home at the beginning of September and recover from the illness and setbacks he has suffered over the last few months. This garden would go a long way to support that rehabilitation when he gets home. Gemma and Darren have been living between the hospitals and Tadworth with occasional visits home to spend time with Tiana so having a space to be all together would be amazing.

March 2018Last year a few of us raised circa £3000 for Dexter and Peterson's Fund for Children.

This year we have decided to continue fundraising but we hope that with your help we will go bigger and better.

The 7 of us, Simon, Suzy, Darren (Dexter's Dad), Rebecca, Chris, John and Darren W, are "Dexter's Dirty Muddy Funkers " we are going to complete three Spartan races' in 2018.

April 7th - Spartan Super - 12km, (7.5m) 24-29 obstacles

April 8th - Spartan Sprint - 5km, (3m) 20-23 obstacles, Both in St Clere, Wrotham, Kent.

October 6th - Spartan Beast - 19-22km, (14m) 30-35 obstacles, Swinley Forest, Windsor, Berks

There are also kid's events at both venues, so it can be a family affair! Mia and Chloe have already said they would like to get in on the action and Darren W's son William took part last year.

As you will see from the link this is a physical challenge that will test all 7 of us, and perhaps you…….!

We are all completing every race and you could too, or you could sign up to run just one of them to help us raise funds. Come on, let's make this a huge team effort, no matter what your fitness level, you could complete one or more of these races and help us help others.

If you're interested in participating please reply to this message with your email address and I'll send you a link and other info to become one of "Dexter's Dirty Muddy Funkers " come on get on the team.

Use this link to find out more http://www.spartanrace.uk/en

Right, so what are we doing this for? Dexter is a beautiful little boy who at just 2 1/2 years old has already had so much to contend with. Following a number of life threatening seizures he is currently in Intensive Care in St George's Hospital, Tooting, receiving specialist treatment and fighting to get well again. When he gets out his family would love to be able to give him the support and a suitable outdoor space he deserves. We would all love to support them in this and give him something he can really enjoy with his wonderful family.

When we started this we were jointly fundraising for Scotty's Little Soldiers, however due to the recent change in Dexter's circumstances the group have agreed that 100% of our efforts should go to supporting this very real and immediate need. This change was made on the 8th March, at which point we had raised £360. So I will donate £180 - 50% - to Scotty's Little Soldiers on behalf of those of you who had already generously donated. Photo below confirms we have passed on your donation.

Dexter has Cerebral Palsy and is in need of alterations to the family garden to enable him to have access to it, and medical monitoring system to alert Gemma and Darren if he has a seizure while he is sleeping.

In July 2015 Gemma and Darren were ready to welcome a new addition to their family and a baby brother for 4-year-old Tiana. There had been ups and downs during Gemma's pregnancy but nothing led them to be prepared for his dramatic entrance in to the world.

Dexter was resuscitated and suffered hypoxia and through this lack of oxygen to the brain has caused moderately severe brain damage and has led to him having severe cerebral palsy. At the age of two and a half he is just able to roll, but isn't yet able to sit, stand or walk. Gemma and Darren hoped that they would be able to see Dexter grow up running around and being active, but he is unable to undertake simple tasks such as eating or speaking. He suffers greatly because of the varying tone in his body, sometimes very stiff and sometimes extremely floppy. The complications because of this mean he vomits at least twice a day as he suffers greatly with reflux. He isn't able to eat like a normal child of his age, relying on high calorie "milk" that keeps his weight managed. Due to his brain damage he has recently started to suffer with seizures and since has been diagnosed with epilepsy, another complication to cope with. He has had some very serious seizures in the last year where his oxygen levels have dropped dangerously low and he has been put on life support. Luckily he has bounced back from these however Gemma and Darren now need to purchase medical monitoring system to monitor Dexter while he is sleeping.

Dexter is a happy, cheeky little fellow with an abundance of energy and a love for life, his understanding of the world around him is much the same as any other child his age, but his body is not able to keep up at all. He needs 1:1 help, enabling him to do the things his mind wants, like play, eat and move. His mind needs stimulation to continue to mature and not be left to regress, so it's important for him to have easy access to things that for us are simple and taken for granted. To be able to have a safe environment to go outside to use as an extension to the small family home will give him the stimulation he greatly needs and wants.

Over the last couple of years, we have got to know Dexter and his family and really wanted to do something that will help not just Dexter in his progression but the whole family as they strive to provide Dexter with the best opportunities they can. He is a lovely little boy with the amazingly cheeky personality you would expect from a 2-year-old boy.

Last summer it became apparent that enabling Dexter to enjoy the outside space at home with his sister was going to become difficult as he got older as already he couldn't easily be lifted outside and the uneven terrain was unsuitable for his chair. Being able to share outside time as a family has huge therapeutic benefits for not only Dexter but also the whole family, and particularly Tiana, who loves to play outside with her little brother.

We made great inroads into the fundraising to provide the equipment needed to enable the family to take Dexter outside easily within their own garden, but if we want to enable it for this summer we need to do more. The kind of things the funds will provide are an astro turf lawn area which is a smooth surface for his wheels to move across or for him to lay on. A sensory and learning area for him to stimulate his mind, with easy access in and out from the house by an integrated ramp. Initial estimates for these works are in the region of £10,000

Gemma and Darren truly believe this could make a tangible difference to his condition and the way he can be included in the kind of family activities that the rest of us take for granted, playing with his big sister and enjoying the sunshine and fresh air.

We wholeheartedly believe that every family and their children should be able to enjoy the outdoors, and Dexter to be able to have further sensory experiences and do what other children do with ease.

We all take the little things for granted and it is not until you experience this sort of event or know a family that has that you stop and think, how would I cope, who would help us?

We would like to think someone would help us and our family if the need ever arose so we would really like to do something to help them to make their garden accessible for the whole family

Gemma and Darren never expected that they would need to do these things so that Dexter could have the same experiences as any other child and their current position means it isn't possible to enhance their outside space in the immediate future. If you could help us to help them then please sponsor us, as much or as little as you can. It all helps.

We really hope you find it a worthy cause to sponsor us in our efforts to make a difference to Dexter and his family.

"There is nothing more beautiful than someone who goes out of their way to make life beautiful for others."