Eli's journey to becoming healthy

Hello everyone, this is my handsome, smiley son Eli!

Eli was born in November 2023 via emergency c-section. Shortly after he came into this world he struggled to breath because his lungs were deprived of oxygen. He was placed in the neonatal unit as he needed support to breathe and feed.

After spending two days in the neonatal unit and two weeks in hospital we were given the all-clear to go home. After a few months of being home we noticed Eli being delayed in his milestones for example, he wasn't reaching out to objects/toys, he wasn't babbling, he wasn't rolling over as a child his age should so we were really concerned.

We contacted our local hospital and they said we shouldn't worry about anything just yet as every child develops at their own pace. The doctors didn't really see a concern because Eli has always smiled at people and he engages visually. However by the time Eli was five months old we noticed Eli's legs making abnormal movements so we went to A&E.

They did some tests where Eli was examined by a children's doctor which then brought to our attention he has infantile spasms. The doctor also said they don't know why Eli is so delayed that its an underlying issue they haven't got an answer for. Shortly after this we were referred to the Great Ormond Street hospital where they did some EEG tests on Elis brain activity, the results came back and they told us Eli has abnormalities in his brain activities which can cause spasms.

As Eli has got older these abnormalities have evolved into him having epilepsy. He still cant walk, he only grabs toys he likes (just about!), he can't crawl, he can't sit up by himself, he can't feed himself and he needs 24 hour care.

I firmly believe with the right support Eli can do all these things because he has a real "I want to try" attitude. Please help him with his treatments so we can do everything we can to help him reach his full potential.

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 objectives, then any funds that cannot be used will be transferred to be used for the general charitable purposes of Tree of Hope.