A leading disability charity has helped a Staffordshire toddler find comfort at home, by providing her with an innovative seat called a P-Pod.
Two-year-old Holly Shaw has developmental delay, problems with her hearing and Epilepsy as well as low muscle tone – meaning she is unable to support her own weight or move independently.
Holly’s family turned to Newlife, – the UK’s largest charity funder of specialist equipment for children with disabilities and terminal illness – for help in finding a suitable seating solution for their daughter.
Holly has had the use of a functional chair provided by statutory services, in order to help her develop her sitting balance, but she tires quickly and needs somewhere more comfortable to relax.
The only place that she has been able to find some comfort is on the family’s sofa or on her mum or dad’s knee – but with Holly’s younger sister also needing her parent’s attention and household jobs to take care of, this isn’t always practical.
Holly’s new P-Pod has been specifically created for children like her who need extra support when sitting. It means that she can now relax in comfort, whilst maintaining support for her posture and reducing the risk of her developing a deformity in her spine in later life. The chair allows Holly to play with her sister and spend time with her family from a relaxed and supported position and also allows her mum to do jobs around the house, knowing that Holly is safe in her seat.
Holly’s mum Amy said; “Having the P-Pod means that we know Holly is safe and supported and it also makes things easier for us at home. Before I would have to sit with her on my knee for hours at a time. Now I know I can wash the dishes and she is safe and happy in her seat. Our other daughter is only one so of course she needs our attention too – it’s great because I can now play with them both together.”
Newlife Foundation has already helped 756 children in the Staffordshire area but more is still needed. There are currently 17 children in the county who are waiting for equipment that is valued at £3,001 – and you could help us get it to them.
The Newlife Staffordshire Fund supports the provision of equipment for under 19s in the county area who are facing any significant disability, whether acquired through a birth defect, prematurity, accident or illness. Newlife aims to ensure that no child with a disability or terminal illness within this county, has to go without equipment they need in day to day life.
For more information about the Newlife Staffordshire Fund go to www.newlifecharity.co.uk/staffordshire or email local@newlifecharity.co.uk You can contact the County Liaison Team – on 01543 431 444.
Pictured: Holly Shaw
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