Help Evelynne Access Intensive Therapy at Napa Centre

Hello,

My name is Maria, and I would like to share our daughter’s story — a story of extreme prematurity, resilience, and hope.

Evelynne was born at just 25 weeks and 6 days, weighing 950 grams and measuring only 29 cm. Her extremely premature birth was caused by a severe sepsis I developed following a kidney transplant.

From her very first minutes of life, Evelynne had to fight to survive. She was resuscitated, intubated, and ventilated, and we spent 89 days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Every beep of the machines terrified us. We had never seen a baby so small — all we could do was hope and pray.

A few days after her birth, doctors asked to speak with us. We were told that Evelynne had suffered a Grade 4 brain haemorrhage, leading to a diagnosis of cerebral palsy. We were informed that this condition could come with multiple complications, including hydrocephalus, microcephaly, global developmental delay, speech and language difficulties, and epilepsy. We were also told that she might never be able to walk.

Our world collapsed. As part of hospital protocol, we were asked whether we wanted life support withdrawn. We could not accept that. No matter what her future held, she was our child — our only child. I had given her oxygen for six months in my womb, and I wanted her to be my oxygen for the rest of my life.

After discharge, Evelynne required three additional months of oxygen at home. At first, she seemed “normal” to us — we didn’t yet understand what prematurity truly meant or how many challenges it could bring.

At around eight months old, we began to notice that her left hand would not open, her legs were very stiff, her head shape was asymmetrical, and she had a very noticeable strabismus. I began researching day and night and learned that Evelynne urgently needed intensive physiotherapy, eye surgery, and close monitoring of her head growth.

Through the NHS, we received some physiotherapy, but it was not enough. We turned to private therapy and continued exercises with her at home, as parents.

Today, Evelynne is nothing short of a miracle to us.

• She speaks

• She takes few independent steps wearing AFOs .

• She uses a Kaye (Kyle) walker

• She attends nursery

• She has had successful strabismus surgery

• Her microcephaly is closely monitored, with only a minimal difference from normal measurements

Last year, however, we faced another challenge when Evelynne was diagnosed with epilepsy. Every seizure is a moment of pure fear and heartbreak for us.

Recently, we learned about The NAPA Centre in Harlow, which offers intensive therapy programmes over 15 days. Evelynne’s recommended programme includes three hours of therapy per day:

1 hour of DMI

2 hours of NeuroSuit Therapy

This therapy could make a significant difference in her physical development and help prepare her for a future Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR) surgery.

Unfortunately, the costs are far beyond what we can manage alone. We live in rented accommodation and have ongoing monthly bills, as well as additional therapies Evelynne already attends, including:

Hydrotherapy

Swimming

Private physiotherapy

We have managed to pay £1,000 to secure Evelynne’s therapy place, but we still need:

£4,500 for the remaining therapy costs

£1,530 for accommodation during the therapy period

We are asking for your help to give Evelynne this life-changing opportunity. We truly believe in her strength and potential.

We are not asking for much — just a small act of kindness.

If you could give up a coffee for Evelynne, it would bring her one step closer to a better future.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for your support.

Maria, Evelynne’s Mom

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