Hi there, my name is Maria, and I am fundraising for our 3-year-old daughter, Dara.

Dara lives in London with her mum, dad, and much-loved older brother, Daniel. We love family days out on our bikes and exploring the country parks in the area.

Dara has a DENOVO genetic mutation, which has caused a neuro-muscular disorder affecting all four of her limbs. This condition keeps her muscles tight, limiting her ability to move. Despite this, Dara is very bright, chatty, and fast approaching the "I can do it all by myself" phase, full of sass. She loves playing and laughing with her peers and big brother. Dara requires Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and also benefits from Hydrotherapy. We do many stretching exercises at home and follow the advice of the professionals involved in her care.

Our little family has been self-funding Dara’s therapies for just over six months, following help we received from a previous fundraiser. However, our budget is becoming very tight, and a local trust named C-Potencial referred us to Tree of Hope for additional support.

We are very grateful for the NHS’s support with consultations, tests, medications, and the equipment Dara requires on a daily basis. Unfortunately, their capacity to deliver physical therapy and occupational therapy sessions is very limited. Dara currently gets one Physical Therapy session every 8 weeks and one Occupational Therapy session every 4-6 months.

Dara is soon to undergo her very first surgical procedure, and she will need triple the amount of therapy she would normally require over a 12-week period to gain the maximum benefit from the procedure.

We are aiming to raise £5,000 to support Dara. To give you an idea of the costs, £1,400 is enough for one 12-week round of therapy for our little girl.

We are incredibly thankful for all the support we’ve already received from our friends and family, who help us navigate the emotions that Dara’s condition brings. However, as Dara grows, she will need more therapy and advice from professionals.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your support.

7.5% of all donations to Tree of Hope in relation to this appeal will be allocated to the general charitable purposes of Tree of Hope to cover our core operating costs.

If we raise insufficient funds, or surplus funds, then the funds will be used, if appropriate, to fund support for our child’s needs in accordance with Tree of Hope’s charitable objects. If in those circumstances we are unable to use all or part of the funds for the benefit of our child in accordance with Tree of Hope’s charitable objectives, then any funds that cannot be used will be transferred to be used for the general charitable purposes of Tree of Hope.