Help Jess reach her potential

Updated October 2023

Jess had her SDR surgery back in 2016 and has been working hard ever since.  She continues to have regular private physiotherapy and attends intensive blocks of physio at Footsteps Centre near Oxford.  We use all your kind donations to help towards the cost of this.  This is helping ensure she stays as strong and independent as possible and so far she has avoided any further surgery, which is great news.

Thank you everyone!

(From 2013!)

Hi, I’m Jess.  I am one of twin girls born at 29 weeks.  I spent the first 7 weeks of my life in Special Care with my sister.  I’m now 3 years old and giggly, stubborn and cheeky, and desperate to try and keep up with my twin and my older sister. 

Unfortunately I have cerebral palsy, which makes moving really hard for me.  My sisters don’t cut me any slack though, so even though I can’t sit or stand by myself or walk, I do my best to join in by rolling towards them (or away from them!) as fast as I can.  They also race around pushing me in my miniwheelchair which is great fun.

My cerebral palsy means that some of the muscles in my legs get really tight, which stops my other muscles from working properly.  It makes standing up really hard and I cannot walk as my legs cross over because of the tight muscles.

My Mum and Dad are hoping I will have a surgery called SDR (selective dorsal rhizotomy).  This neurosurgery will permanently reduce the muscle tightness (spasticity) in my legs and will give my muscles a chance to work properly.  

Without this surgery, it is likely that I will need a lot of orthopeadic operations in the future to correct problems like hip dislocation and deformity caused by the spasticity and lack of mobility.

It is going to take a lot of work before and after the surgery to get my muscles strong and working in a more normal way and this is where you come in. I’m prepared to work hard and put in the hours but we need to raise money for additional private therapy sessions, for intensive blocks of treatment at specialist centres like the Footsteps Centre in Dorchester and for specialist equipment.

Please give generously to Tree of Hope, who are supporting me, and with your help I can reach my full potential and hopefully one day stand and walk by myself.

Should we exceed the target amount (or if we do not raise enough funds, or if they cannot be used for any other reason) the funds raised will go to the general funds of Tree of Hope to assist other sick children.

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.

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