On the 26th of January 2019 our beautiful little Aubrey Amelia was born after a textbook pregnancy and birth. Aubrey was a happy and content baby who rarely cried however from a few months old I noticed her missing milestones in her development such as cooing, rolling and recognising her name. I kept raising my concerns with health professionals, but I repeatedly got told she would do things in her own time and to have a ‘wait and see’ approach, I was told I was simply overthinking and being an anxious first-time mum. After Aubrey turned one, she was falling more behind with her milestones, lockdown hit and all the doors for support were closed, the waiting lists for referrals grew longer and I knew it was time to start fighting to get Aubrey the support she needed.

Aubrey was diagnosed with global developmental delay at 2 years old with severe delays in all developmental areas. She was under numerous different medical departments to try and investigate her difficulties. She started at an incredible mainstream nursery who supported her and made all the necessary adjustments to make her feel included and keep her safe. They also got her EHCP granted before we had to make the incredibly tough decision of applying for a mainstream school that would’ve never been able to meet her needs, and with this we managed to get her a placement at a specialist school. Aubrey was then diagnosed with autism in May 2023.

Aubrey started attending the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee school full time in September 2023, a setting for children from 2-19 with severe, complex and profound learning disabilities. This school is absolutely incredible, and Aubrey is thriving. She is being supported to live a full and independent life and we are so grateful to all the staff members for looking after our little girl so beautifully. Despite all the tests and scans Aubrey has been through, there is no known cause for Aubrey’s difficulties, it’s not brain damage or genetic, she is unique and one of a kind and QEII value and celebrate each child for their own individual personality.

Aubrey has a much smaller class size with a higher adult to child ratio, access to hydrotherapy, rebound therapy, donkey riding, a vast outside playground area plus many more therapies and facilities which not only help with her education but also keep her complex sensory profile regulated. The school has also opened up friendships to us with families that are in a similar position and friends who I would now be lost without.

Aubrey is the most beautiful little girl with the biggest heart. She is caring and gentle in nature and is adored by us, her little brother Theodore and family and friends. Our family motto is ‘be more Aubrey’, she takes each day as it comes, doesn’t care what people think of her and she sees the beauty in absolutely everything.

I am running the Brighton half marathon to raise money for QEII to say a big THANK YOU to the school for all the incredible work they do and to open up more opportunities for all the amazing children who attend the school. Aubrey absolutely loves swimming and we are hoping to buy some specialist equipment for the pool they have at QEII to support the children. Any donation, no matter how big or small, will truly be appreciated. We are sure you will understand my struggle to find time for exercise whilst managing our complex lives, working full time, and coping with severe lack of sleep, and will understand the extra challenge of this!

Thank you so much for your support.

Aubrey, Eden, Rob and Theodore x

Ps please see the gallery for some pictures of what Aubrey gets up to at QEII!