Hi,

I'm Jenny and I'm one of the owners of Kids2Kids Preloved in Solihull Lodge, B90 1LR. At Kids2Kids, we now accept donations of high quality toys and baby equipment. At the end of each month the profits from these sales are calculated and donated to NPUK. That is what this page is. A way to keep track of how much money we are able to raise, as a community for such a deserving cause.

Niemann Pick UK (NPUK) is a charity that has become such a huge part of my life and it is absolutely amazing to be able to help raise money for this incredible charity via the shop.

Our Story

My nephew, Harvey, was born in back in 2016 and that kid has changed my whole life. The way I look at things, the way I work, What I do... everything. He is so amazing and has changed so many lives like this and he doesn't even know it! Harvey was poorly from birth. He was born very jaundice, he had an enlarged spleen and he struggled to retain the nutrients he needed in order to gain weight as he should.

At 6 months old, he was devastatingly diagnosed with a rare, degenerative condition called Niemann- Pick Type C (NPC). NPC affect the way the body is able to break down fats within the body, causing excess fats to build up around vital organs such as the brain, liver and spleen. With less than 160 Niemann-Pick patients across the UK, and symptoms varying so much between patients, Harvey was "lucky" to get a diagnosis when he did. Many people go through years of testing once symptoms begin, all the while losing skills and abilities through the deteriation aspect of the disease without receiving any effective treatment.

Harvey started showing symptoms of this disease when he was 18 months old. He was in and out of hospital with various illnesses due to his immunity being low, he stopped waving and babbling and he had to be put on a feeding tube. Families of NPC patients were always told that when this happens, it is time to make memories. A sufferers skills and abilities (including things such as walking/ talking) will continue to degenerate in a similar way to dementia sufferers, which has in turn led to the disease often becoming nicknamed "Childhood Dementia", until devastatingly their ability to swallow solid food diminishes and they will cruelly pass away.

This, thankfully is where Harvey's story changes narrative slightly. Although it remains fatal, until that cure we are all praying for is found, several trials for treatment of symptoms of NPC became available around that time. Harvey was put on a trial which involved receiving medication via an IV tube every 2 weeks in hospital. We are incredibly grateful and blessed to be able to say that is what he has remained doing every 2 weeks ever since and the degeneration aspect of the disease has been slowed down dramatically ever since. Harvey has just celebrated his 7th birthday, he goes to an SLD school which he loves and most importantly he has had and still has a good quality of life. He is happy, caring, loving and I know I'm biased- but gorgeous! You can't help but fall in love with him!

NPUK is a small charity that aims to make a positive difference to the lives of those affected by NP. They provide practical, emotional and often financial support to those that need it. But as a charity that receives no statutory funding, that is where we come in.

After having Charlie, having 2 kids under 2 and a boss not interested in being flexible in the slightest with my working hours, this is when I was honoured to be given the role of fundraising officer for NPUK. I am able to follow my dream of opening my very own shop, while working part time for a charity which is crucial to lots of families.

If you've managed to get to this point and not got fed up of my rambling, well done. haha. And welcome to our page.