UPDATE

Leo had his operation on the 15th of August 2018. It has been a very tough journey so far, and now we are out of hospital, the physio must continue. Please help us reach our goal and let Leo stay on his feet!

I have changed our original target too, as this wasn’t sufficient to maintain the amount of physio needed.

Thank you again for your support—it means so much!

Leo's Story

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page for Leo! 💙

As some of you may know, Leo is a very happy, cheeky 8-year-old. But he didn’t have the easiest start in life when my waters broke 10 weeks early, and Leo came along!

Although I was beaming with pride at my new bundle of joy, I knew I was in for a tough road ahead. With Leo having bleeds on the brain and meningococcal septicaemia meningitis so early after birth, it became clear that Leo would have disabilities and complications as he got older.

Even though Leo has cerebral palsy, hydrocephalus, and absent epilepsy, he is one very bold character who everyone falls in love with. 💙

Although Leo has already had the selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR), which has helped in many ways, his walking has begun to deteriorate because of the position of his feet, and pressure sores have already occurred on his feet ☹️. Recently, we went to one of Leo's hospital appointments with his orthopaedic consultant, who revealed some devastating news.

He revealed that Leo would need major surgery on both legs, resulting in the equivalent of five operations on each leg from the hip downwards, if we wanted to keep him on his feet and walking. Afterward, intense physio would be required to get him back up on his feet and walking again.

Anyone who knows Leo will know how important this is to him—just to be able to move his legs! He is happiest when walking with his frame, riding a trike, and being independent, just like any other 8-year-old.

So, as a mum, I have started fundraising to help towards the cost of Leo's physio after the operation to make sure his dream of staying independent and on his feet becomes reality, with the help of you lovely people. He continues each day with so much courage and determination. 💙

Whatever you can contribute will be so gratefully received.

Thank you so much for reading our story and for your support. 🙏

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast, and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving—they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate—saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

Should we exceed the target amount (or if we do not raise enough funds, or if they cannot be used for any other reason), the funds raised will go to the general funds of Tree of Hope to assist other sick children.

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.