Thank you for taking the time to visit our JustGiving page.

In March 2018, my husband and I found out that our daughter, Sophie (3 years old), had a condition called Hip Dysplasia or DDH. This is when the ball shaped part of the end of the thighbone and the socket do not fit correctly together. We were told she would need major surgery to correct her dislocated hip, and to say we were devastated was an understatement. We’d never even heard of Hip Dysplasia, yet about 1 or 2 in every 1000 babies has a hip problem needing treatment.

Our fiesty, gorgeous little girl was going to effectively have her leg broken, her hip socket reconstructed and be immobile for 3 months. Like I said, we were devastated. Has she been in pain all this time? How would she cope in a cast starting at her waist and covering both legs? How long is recovery? 

What about washing, toileting, sleeping, sitting, getting around....just playing with her twin sister, Emma and older brother, Alex?! Could we even cuddle her? How will WE cope?! 

After the diagnosis we were encouraged to get in touch with Steps, the national charity working for all those whose lives are affected by childhood lower limb conditions. We were amazed at the amount of support and help that was available as we had so many questions and worries, and at a time that felt very lonely, we were immediately comforted knowing there were other families going through the same thing.

In July 2018, Sophie had her operation and was then in a spica cast for 14 weeks. It was so much more emotional, frustrating and overwhelming for all of us than I had ever imagined, however I was determined that this would be a positive experience that we could talk to her about in years to come. Steps ensured we were well informed to make everything go as smoothly as possible and reading stories of children who had overcome Hip Dysplasia really helped. 

Sophie has literally been amazing throughout all of this, and when the question popped up on the Steps website, ‘Want to run the London Marathon for us in 2019?’, I decided to channel some of Sophie’s grit and determination and thought ‘Hell yes!’. If she can learn to walk again with pins and plates in her hip and leg, I can run 26.2 miles! Running a marathon is on my list of things to do before I’m 40, so 2019 is perfect timing! I am absolutely delighted to be running for Steps!

And even more delighted when my fabulous best friend Zoe, aka Auntie Blow, said she’d do it too! This is the first time Steps have had friends running, laughing, crying, sweating and dragging themselves round London together, so we can’t wait to smash our £5k target! A bit more adventurous than the netball court 25 years ago, so we’ll need all the support and encouragement we can get!

The work of Steps is essential in making sure that all those with a serious childhood leg condition have the very best chance of achieving their full potential. But without the support of donors, volunteers and supporters they wouldn’t be able to do anything. Whether it’s providing emotional and practical support, giving families the information they desperately need, working to improve standards of care and treatment, or collaborating on research projects to give a better future, they rely entirely on the donations.

Your donation can help in so many ways:

-    A donation of £25 provides help and advice to parents calling Steps helpline about unborn children’s lower limb problems

-    A donation of £50 helps to supply a large NHS trust with a range of booklets to help and support affected families

-    A donation of £220 can provide a specialist grant for a Hip Spica car seat to help a young child recovering from hip surgery

Thank you very much for your support to this fantastic cause. Your donation truly means so much to us personally and, of course, to Steps. 

#bemoresoph

For more information visit:
www.step-charity.org.uk 

You can follow our journey and marathon training on Facebook: Walk with Sophie - Run with Caroline and Zoe

and Instagram: @walk_with_ sophie

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.