A simple piece of equipment – costing just £500 – will allow a little girl from Tiverton to relax free from pain. Can you help her?
Nine-year-old Libby Orr has been diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy and often finds it extremely uncomfortable to sit. She also has Epilepsy which results in frequent seizures.
Statutory services have provided her with a formal high chair, but Libby is not able to sit in it for more than an hour without experiencing pain.
A specialist P-pod chair would allow the St Andrews Primary School pupil to sit pain free and means she could play alongside her three-year-old sister Ella.
However, statutory services won’t fund the equipment so Libby’s mum Rachael turned to Newlife for help.
Rachael said: “It would be absolutely wonderful to have a P-pod chair – they are so cosy and are exactly what Libby needs.
“At the moment Libby always has to sit in her wheelchair or high chair and she is so well strapped in it can be very uncomfortable.
“She can never sit and slouch or just lay back like everyone likes too. She is always sat upright which, after a long day, can be very painful.”
Newlife Foundation has now launched a local fundraising appeal to buy the P-pod chair which is a specialist seat, similar to a beanbag, that will mould to Libby’s body to give the seating support and comfort she needs.
Rachael said: “To see Libby sat in comfort and playing with Ella will be amazing.
“Both her wheelchair and formal chair are quite high so they can never be on the same level when they play. It would be lovely to be able to sit her in the living room comfortably and watch her play and interact.”
Newlife Foundation has funded 147 Equipment Grants for disabled and terminally ill children in Devon, totalling £328,143.
However, the demand for Newlife services has shot up in recent months and the charity is appealing to ‘local heroes’ to come forward to fundraise or donate towards the cost of equipment for children in the county.
Newlife CEO Sheila Brown, OBE, said: “As cutbacks continue to bite into local authority budgets we can expect to see applications for Newlife equipment services continue to rise.
“As a charity we are looking increasingly to ‘local heroes’ to help us help children in individual counties – and Newlife guarantees that 100 per cent of all monies donated or fundraised in Devon can be ring-fenced to help Libby or provide essential equipment for disabled and terminally ill children within the county boundary.”
Pictured: Libby Orr
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