A simple piece of specialist equipment is all that is needed to keep little Chloe Body safe and comfortable on car journeys – and Newlife Foundation for Disabled Children is appealing to local people in Kent to help.
Chloe, aged three and from St Mary Hoo near Rochester, has development delays that affect her physical and learning abilities as well as epilepsy. Unable to sit or stand unaided, Chloe has limited head control and her existing standard car seat is not only too small for her, it doesn’t offer the appropriate support for her head or body.
Mum Hanna Body said: “She has actually outgrown her existing car seat so the harness is very tight, which makes Chloe cry.”
A booster seat isn’t appropriate for her and standard child seats just aren’t big enough.
Hanna added: “Basically, we just don’t go out much in the car at the moment, which means Chloe is missing out on all sorts of opportunities. Her occupational therapist told us about specialist travel seats and Chloe has been able to try one – she seemed comfortable and much happier.”
With the specialist car seat costing £904 and no statutory funding available, Hanna turned to the UK’s leading charity funder of specialist equipment for children with disabilities and terminal illness – Newlife Foundation.
In Kent, Newlife has provided in excess of £288,000 of disability equipment – including beds, wheelchairs, seating and communication aids – for 213 children.
However, demand on Newlife services has shot up in recent months, and the charity is currently working with the families of 15 children in Kent who need equipment totalling more than £23,000. If you would like to help Chloe get the specialist car seat she needs so she can travel in safety, go to www.newlifecharity.co.uk/kent to find out how to donate.
Any monies collected surplus to requirements for Chloe would be used to provide specialist equipment for another disabled or terminally ill child in Kent.
In response to the growing need in the county, earlier this year the charity launched its Newlife Kent Fund. The fund’s website – www.newlifecharity.co.uk/kent – enables local people to find out who needs help in their county right now and highlight the support the charity gives families. It includes contact details for the Newlife County Liaison Team – tel no 01543 431 444 or email local@newlifecharity.co.uk – and shows specific ways people can help support children with disability and terminal illness and their families.
Pictured: Chloe Body
Web: https://newlifecharity.co.uk
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