Aiden was born in June 2014. He suffered a Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE) injury after enduring 28 minutes of CPR before taking his first breath.  Aiden was transferred to the Rosie Hospital at Addenbrookes in Cambridge for cooling treatment (therapeutic hypothermia) and care in their NICU.  Aiden was wrapped in an ice blanket for 72 hours and then slowly warmed to normal temperature.  Aiden spent 13 days in hospital before being allowed home. 

Aiden is now 18 months old and the challenges he is going to face are starting to become more apparent.  Currently Aiden is diagnosed with HIE Grade 3, low trunk tone and high tone in his arms, this means he currently cannot sit unaided, cannot crawl or walk.  

Aiden spends the majority of his time doing physiotherapy to help strengthen his muscles; physiotherapy is done through play and correct postural positioning.  To aid Aiden he uses a special chair for sitting and eating but he needs more equipment to enable him to explore his surroundings and play with toys as any child should be able to.

In additional to the therapies provided by the NHS, we now fund Hippo therapy (horse riding) sessions.  The horses provide new movement patterns and experience to Aiden, when Aiden is sat on he horse with his co-rider he has to maintain his core muscles and react to the horses movements.  This therapy also encourages Aiden to hold and keep his head up which again improves his control over these muscles.

Aiden enjoys swimming, in addition to swimming lessons he also has hydrotherapy sessions in a hydro pool.  The temperature of the water, combined with sensory lighting and music makes for a relaxing and enjoyable therapy session.

We are also looking into intensive 1, 2 and 3 week physiotherapy sessions to give Aiden a substantial opportunity to achieve the next inchstone, which in turn may lead to milestones.

Aiden was nominated and won the Pride of Essex, Child of Courage Award in November 2015.  Aiden is the youngest ever winner of this award, he truely is remarkable.  Aiden has helped raise over £30,000.00 for various charities which we have encountered along this journey.  Aiden still actively supports these charities whilst raising awareness of HIE and fundraising to provide himself with the additional funds required to enable him to reach his full potential.

Aiden has come a long way since his birth and he continues to show us his determination and strength to succeed but to do this he needs our help.  If you are able and willing any donation would go directly to Aiden to help him achieve new skills and live a full life.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

Tree of Hope reserves to use these funds for any purpose stated in the parents charter, including but not limited to, medical treatment, surgery and therapies and related travel expenses, medical and exercise equipment, childcare, home adaptations and the cost of vehicles designed for the disabled.