Born premature, nine-year-old Jay Browne has a complex health condition that includes Cerebral Palsy, epilepsy and developmental delay. He needs specialist seating so he doesn’t have to spend hours each week on the floor of the family home near Grantham.
Now Newlife Foundation for Disabled Children is looking for ‘local heroes’ who can help us make this happen. We already have £457 towards a specialist P-Pod chair, which costs £1,371. However, we still need £914.
We need donors and fundraisers who want to really make a difference, helping us transform Jay’s everyday life in Great Ponton. To find out how you can support Jay go to www.newlifecharity.co.uk/lincolnshire. Alternatively, contact the Newlife County Liaison Team on 01543 431 444, email local@newlifecharity.co.uk.
Newlife guarantees that 100 per cent of monies donated or fundraised in Lincolnshire will be used to specifically help children with disabilities and terminal illness in the county. Any money raised surplus to requirements for Jay will be used to help other local children.
Three years ago Newlife provided a smaller P-Pod for Jay, but he has grown out of this and now spends most of his time at home either in a functional special needs chair, which isn’t very comfortable for him, or on the floor. Mum Kerry Browne said: “His functional chair gives him all the postural support he needs – he can’t hold his head up – but an hour at a time in this is plenty, especially when he is tired after a long week at school. He gets very grumpy when he is uncomfortable and, as he can’t tell us how he feels, he lets us know by crying.
“I hate seeing Jay upset and I would love him to be more included in family life; there are two other children.”
The new, larger P-Pod would give Jay the appropriate postural support he needs in the evenings after school, at weekends and during the school holidays. Kerry said: “He can’t sit on the sofa by himself – it would be too dangerous because he can’t support himself at all. A new, larger P-Pod would help him relax with the family and being in a chair rather on the floor would mean he could join in with what we’re doing.”
So if you think you could help Jay, go to www.newlifecharity.co.uk/lincolnshire and click on the Donate button next to his story.
Newlife CEO Sheila Brown, OBE, added: “I know this is a busy time for families as they start thinking about the festive season, but I am urging ‘local heroes’ to spare a minute to consider how they could help improve a disabled child’s life this Christmas.”
The charity has already funded more than £130,000 of specialist equipment for 121 children with disabilities and terminal illness in Lincolnshire.
Pictured: Jay Browne
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