Fabulous local fundraisers and a national children’s disability charity have worked together to help Renton teenager Rebekkah McCormick get the specialist bed she needs so she can sleep in safety.
Local organisation Caring For Callum had fundraised to help four-year-old Callum McVey – who has cerebral palsy and chronic lung disease – get specialist equipment to help him breathe. Fundraiser Linsey Mercer said: “We did far better than hoped and were able to put £1,400 towards helping Rebecca get her bed. We would like to thank all our local supporters for their generosity, which has resulted in two disabled children getting the vital equipment they need to help their families care for them.”
Rebekkah, aged 14, has Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy and a condition which means she has not reached many of her developmental milestones. Because she experiences a lot of muscle spasms during the night and was in danger of falling to the floor, her parents took the legs off her bed to lower it and added side guards.
Mum Denise said: “Rebekkah has rolled out of bed and had a few bumps. But lowering her bed wasn’t really enough. She frequently wakes up gagging so we put a pillow under the mattress to help raise it at one end – but this just meant she was more likely to roll out. What we really needed was a specialist bed to keep her safe.”
Still £2,165 short of the total, the McCormicks turned to leading UK children’s disability charity Newlife Foundation for help. Last year (2013/14) alone, Newlife invested £2,088,105 in the safety, mobility, pain relief and health care of disabled children like Rebekkah all around the UK – by providing a wide range of essential specialist equipment including wheelchairs, car seats, portable hoists and communication aids.
With Newlife’s help, Rebekkah got her new bed in time for Christmas.
Newlife Foundation Operations Manager Stephen Morgan said: “Although we are a national charity we work at local level all across the UK. Where possible, we liaise with local fundraisers to provide the right equipment at the right time.”
If you would like to donate or raise money to help fund specialist equipment for children in Dunbartonshire, the Newlife Community Fundraising Team can be contacted on 0800 988 4640 (free from UK landlines). Any individual or organisation thinking of running a fundraising event is asked to contact the team, who can offer support and guidance.
Newlife operates a social enterprise business which covers the costs of its core services; because of this the charity guarantees that 100 per cent of all monies donated or fundraised in Dunbartonshire will be used to fund equipment for children in the county.
Pictured: Rebekkah McCormick
Web: https://newlifecharity.co.uk
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