We are raising money for a very special little star, Poppy-Mae. We are aiming to build a whole new sensory garden for Poppy-Mae to enjoy and learn in, at her own home. The remaining funds will be donated to the Down's Syndrome Association!

About Poppy-Mae;

In 2014, Poppy’s mother, Alison, was told during her pregnancy that Poppy-Mae had been diagnosed with Trisomy 21 (commonly known as Down’s Syndrome). Following that, the professor looking after the pregnancy needed to perform 2 in-utero Blood Transfusions at 21 weeks and 26 weeks gestation (both of which carried a risk of a miscarriage) this was because Poppy-Mae was then also diagnosed with TAM (a type of Leukemia).

Despite the heart-breaking misfortunes of the pregnancy, Poppy-Mae was born at 34 weeks, weighing a tiny 4lb 7oz. Due to Poppy’s illnesses, she was not brought home from hospital until after 4 weeks, but since lives at home with her Mum, Alison and Dad, Wayne!

Over the past 5 years as poppy has grown, her parents have been informed of various other diagnoses for little Poppy-Mae. These include Chronic Lung Disease, which means Poppy-Mae must be breathing with an oxygen tank during the day and supported to breathe with a mask at night. These also include ASD, VSD, Pulmonary Hypertension and GORD.

The last 5 years have been traumatizing and heart-breaking for Poppy-Mae’s family. Poppy-Mae has been admitted to intensive care on life support 14 times in her life and must be fed through a gastrostomy. Poppy-Mae also has a portacath fitted and requires a BIPAP nocturnally.

However, despite the problems, Poppy-Mae has proven to everybody that she is a fighter. Poppy-Mae has learned to communicate using sign language using over 120 signs! She keeps her family and friends smiling every day. Poppy-Mae has a golden sense of humor and can be very cheeky to her mum and dad when she wants to be! She likes to play in the garden after school, especially when she can play in the sandpit! Because of this, we are going to use the donated funds to build Poppy-Mae her very own sensory garden. Not only will Poppy-Mae love having all new things to play with, but sensory gardens are also proven to improve physical fitness, health, mood and cognition. Gardening and plant care help children develop gross and fine motor skills. Time outdoors, breathing fresh air, and being exposed to sunlight are extremely beneficial to the children's overall physical health.

About Down’s Syndrome Association;

The DSA is the only charity in the UK dealing with all aspects of Down’s syndrome. Its aim is to help people with Down’s syndrome live full and rewarding lives.

Since 1970, The DSA have grown from being a local parent support group into a national charity with over 20,000 members, a national office in Teddington, Middlesex and an office in Northern Ireland. Despite this, the organisation is run by a total staff of just over 40 (many of them part time). They also work closely with local support groups throughout the UK.

A Message From Us

Thank you so much for taking the time to read our page. We will be so grateful for all donations submitted to us! All our love, Kira & Luke x