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SEAT NEEDED TO END LEIA’S CHOKE THREAT

Imagine you have just come out of hospital – all you want is to be at home, comfortable and relaxed so you can recuperate, but the only seat you have is a dining chair! This is how Catriona Lewis described life for her eight-year-old daughter, Leia Morgan, after she had spent three weeks in intensive care. A specialist supportive seat called a P Pod would give Leia the chance to recover in comfort – and Newlife the Charity for Disabled Children needs your help to get it for her.

Leia, who lives in Woking, has a rare chromosome disorder that means she can’t walk, talk or do anything for herself. She also aspirates which means that she is always at risk of choking – she could choke to death at any moment. It was during an operation when Leia choked that lead to her being in intensive care – she has also had to endure three medical procedures since July to help with this aspect of her condition and will need to have this done every six to eight weeks for the foreseeable future.

Leia needs to be properly positioned to reduce the risk of choking and because her Surrey County Council have already funded the functional seat Catriona described as a ‘dining chair’, they won’t provide her with a chair that they deem as being additional. Her family are faced with trying to find the £1,174 needed to get Leia a P Pod so they turned to Newlife for help – but at the moment, the charity simply doesn’t have the funds available.

Catriona said: “I understand that local authorities can’t provide everything, but it is still disappointing that children like Leia are having to go without equipment they really need. If it wasn’t for charities like Newlife we would be lost – but their funds aren’t infinite.”

Newlife’s Senior Manager for Care Services, Carrick Brown said: “Seating that offers comfort as well as giving postural support and keeping a child’s airways clear is just as vital as having something functional that provides a place to sit at meal times. We desperately want to get Leia her P Pod but without the support of the public it is going to be difficult for us to help.”

To donate contact Newlife on 01543 431444 or email local@newlifecharity.co.uk.

Money raised above the amount needed for Leia’s P Pod will be used to help other disabled and terminally ill children in need in Surrey.