Four-year-old Chloe Yip urgently needs specialist seating so she has somewhere safe and comfortable to sit at home, especially while she is recovering from one of her several daily seizures.
Chloe, from the Sighthill area of Edinburgh, has the life-limiting neurological condition Rett Syndrome, combined with epilepsy – she has around five seizures each day.
Mum Ailsa Yip said: “We have no warning of a seizure; they still frighten me and my mum, and they will probably be more frequent as Chloe gets older.”
Chloe uses a wheelchair for mobility, but she also uses it in the family home as her only alternative seating is a specialist functional chair. As she is unable to hold her head upright for more than a few minutes at a time, Chloe has to be constantly watched when she is in the functional chair because when her head flops forward her airway can become obstructed.
Ailsa said: “She has a problem with random choking, so it’s very important that Chloe’s neck and head are supported to help prevent this.”
Chloe needs additional specialist seating costing £1,453, which will enable her to sit in comfort whilst being posturally supported. The equipment also has an integrated table top so Chloe can play with her toys more easily.
Ailsa added: “Most importantly it would give her somewhere to recover from seizures in comfort and safety instead of me having to get her out of her wheelchair and put her in the recovery position on the floor. It would be amazing to have her in a safe environment.”
With no funding available from local statutory services, Ailsa turned to Newlife Foundation for Disabled Children for help. Newlife is the UK’s largest charity funder of specialist equipment for children with disabilities and terminal illness and has already supported six children in Midlothian with equipment totalling £4,688. A further 28 children have been helped in Edinburgh city, with equipment costing £80,406.
With applications for help to fund equipment increasingly significantly, Newlife has been calling on the support of ‘local heroes’.
Scotland’s Local Charity Fundraisers’ group of 32 volunteers has chosen Newlife as its Charity of the Year and has been busy raising money for disabled and terminally ill children across the country. Now they are turning their attentions to Chloe.
Newlife needs to find £1,453 to fully fund her equipment. If you would like to help Chloe, go to www.newlifecharity.co.uk/midlothian and click on the ‘Donate’ button beside her story. The website will also give more information about Newlife’s work in the area.
Newlife guarantees that 100 per cent of the money donated to the Newlife Midlothian Fund will be used to provide equipment for children with disabilities and terminal illness in the area. The ‘Newlife guarantee’ is possible because the charity operates a successful recycling and retail business, the profits of which underwrite core costs, including administration. Any surplus funding will be used to help provide equipment for another child in the Midlothian area.
For full details of Newlife Foundation’s range of practical support for disabled and terminally ill children and their families, call the Newlife Nurse Helpline – 0800 902 0095 (free from UK landlines and mobiles) – or go to: https://newlifecharity.co.uk
Pictured: Chloe Yip
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