Team Amelie

Change an incredible little girl’s life

Amelie is 3 years old and lives with us, her brother Alexander and her big cat brother Lou in Marple, Stockport. Amelie has Spastic Diplegic Cerebral Palsy and has just been accepted by Miss Pettorini at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital to have a life changing operation called Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR). The operation will give her the best chance to walk independently and avoid long term muscle deformity. You can read all about this amazing operation here:

http://www.alderhey.nhs.uk/departments/neurosurgery/selective-dorsal-rhizotomy-sdr/

Amelie was clearly desperate for extra cuddles and arrived 6 weeks early. She then spent 11 days in the neo-natal ward before coming home. As a baby, she did not reach the usual milestones you would expect a baby to reach. She wasn’t rolling, crawling or sitting up on time. We started to get worried and went to the doctor. Weekly physiotherapy sessions started straight away and Amelie responded brilliantly. An MRI soon followed and Amelie was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy (CP) at 18 months old.

Having CP is a nuisance! Her legs are very tight and sometimes ache. They don’t quite listen to her which makes standing and walking independently really hard. After working ridiculous diligently she’s now able to walk well on a walking frame and is learning how to use walking poles. Unfortunately, all activity quickly leaves her exhausted.

It makes doing day to day activities hard too. Using the toilet requires special equipment and a fair bit of help. Getting dressed is a wrestling match against tight legs.

SDR can help in all of these areas. But it is only available on the NHS if you can find the funding yourself. At Alder Hey it costs £21,000 for the operation and the physiotherapy in hospital afterwards. We’re hoping to raise this, plus an additional £14,000 for additional therapies and equipment in the two years following the operation.

The only alternative to SDR is to have botox injections which are a temporary help and, at best, become less effective over time. So our only option is to raise the funds and give Amelie the best chance in life.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read our story and please support Amelie by making a donation. Any amount will go a long way towards changing her life. Thank you.

7.5% of all donations to Tree of Hope in relation to this appeal will be allocated to the general charitable purposes of Tree of Hope to cover our core operating costs.

If we raise insufficient funds, or surplus funds, then the funds will be used, if appropriate, to fund support for our child’s needs in accordance with Tree of Hope’s charitable objects. If in those circumstances we are unable to use all or part of the funds for the benefit of our child in accordance with Tree of Hope’s charitable objects, then any funds that cannot be used will be transferred to be used for the general charitable purposes of Tree of Hope.

If you have any questions at all please do not hesitate to call the family support team on 01892 535525.

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