As a team we are walking in support of our work colleague, Carly, her partner Joe and of course little Fern, to raise money for this amazing charity who have already had a profound impact on their lives. Your donations, no matter how small will make a real difference to the lives of families like Carly's.

Carly, Joe and Fern's story

At our 20-week pregnancy scan, my partner Joe and I found out that our baby had Proximal Focal Femoral Deficiency, a rare condition where the femur is shorter than it should be, or sometimes even absent. It occurs spontaneously and isn't believed to have a genetic cause. As you can imagine, this was a scary time, especially due to the rarity of the condition and the lack of information out there.

A few months later, we welcomed our daughter Fern into the world after an otherwise non-eventful pregnancy, and she was (and still is!) perfect. Her 'little leg' as we call it is about half the length of the other.

As first-time parents, we didn't really know where to turn for support. The doctors were helpful in discussing future options for Fern, but what we wanted and needed were other parents who had been through or were going through similar experiences. We also wished to meet other parents and children with limb differences so as she grows and becomes more aware, Fern understands that she isn't the only one out there, and that her little leg should never ever hold her back.

That's when we discovered the LimbBo Foundation charity through Facebook. We were immediately struck by their child-centred and family-friendly focused ethos. we reached out to them, and they sent us a free new parents information pack, including information booklets that we can later share with Fern's nursery and school about supporting a child with a limb difference. There was also a teddy, and a baby grow which just made us feel so welcome and part of a bigger family.

LimbBo organise free social events for families like ours. This enables the children to make friends with other children with limb differences so that their difference feels less of a difference to them, and for parents to form a support network too. We were so worried about Fern being bullied as she gets older, or feeling held back by her little leg, but we know that LimbBo will be there to support us all as she grows. She has a long road ahead with surgeries, physiotherapy, and prosthetics and we must make some tough decisions as her parents. However, knowing there is a group we can go to both as parents to vent (and probably cry!) and for Fern to make friends and learn she can do anything she wants to is invaluable.

Fern is now 7 months old and continues to astound us with her strength and resilience. She is such a happy smiley baby and is so determined to be on the move. She has met all her milestones and uses her little leg to propel herself around. We're just waiting for her to crawl now! Fern doesn't know she is any different, so adapts accordingly. When your child is diagnosed with something so rare it is easy to feel alone, but we hope that, as Fern grows, LimbBo will be like our extended family.

By supporting LimbBo, you’re helping families like ours feel less afraid, less isolated, and far more hopeful. Your donation helps build a community where children with limb differences grow up confident, supported, and empowered — and for that, we will always be grateful.