I'm trekking the Sahara Desert for Derian House!

Our gorgoues 9 year old daughter Riziah was born with multiple complex and very rare conditions, Heterotaxy Syndrome, Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia & DNA H9 Mutation. She lives with chronic heart and lung disease (hate that word!), her organs have been abnormally placed within her body, she has a feeding tube, and multiple other complications.

She has had to face 13 operations and procedures in her short life, with 4 of those being major heart surgeries. Riziah shows strength, determination and resilience with what she has to face every single day. She radiates beauty and life and I'm forever in awe of the way she lives her life to the fullest.

Derian House has been a lifeline to our family over the years, not just since Riziah was born but 27 years ago when we fostered a terminally ill little girl who lived for a beautiful 2 years and 3 months. She passed away at Derian and rested in the sunflower room. Being a sibling back then and now a mum, Derian will always hold such a precious part in my heart.

Derian house isn't a place of sadness but of fun, a happy place to make some of the most beautiful memories with our children no matter how long or short their lives are going to be. I have made some beautiful friendships through our mums group that I will cherish forever. No matter how you turn up to the group you always go away feeling rested and comforted knowing your not alone.

Now for the scary part...the trek!! I am pooping myself!! Over the years I have lost who I am, I've had to adapt to being a mum to 2 beautiful children who have very complex needs (we adopted our handsome 16 year old son Daniel when he was just 4 years old and he has complex learning difficulties), to not only be their mum but their nurse, carer and sometimes it feels like I'm their PA with the amount of hospital appointments, medication and medical equipment you have to keep on top of! But I want to find ME again and do something for ME. This is why its going to be so challenging.

So when it becomes too hot, too painful, or too embarrassing to try and find somewhere to do my business in the middle of the desert, I'll remember the pain that Riziah & Daniel has had to suffer through her short lives and this will keep me going!

Please donate whatever you can to help me make a difference to so many children and families lives that Derian House care for.

Thank You