Lucca was born in February 2023 - our beautiful, long-awaited little man. He had a slightly bumpy start to life with low oxygen levels, but we were home just a few days later, with no cause for concern, ready to embrace life as a family of four.

Early days were filled with a lot of vomit – wild amounts of reflux. As this continued through the early months, Lucca’s development seemed to also be stagnant. By six months, he was unable to socially smile, make eye contact, and he was nowhere near close to being able to sit in a highchair to be fed solids. It was at this point health professionals finally started to listen to me.

I could absolutely see and feel that our little man was ‘different’.

We gained a referral to a Pediatrician who referred us for blood testing, which shortly after revealed Lucca had Angelman Syndrome - a rare genetic condition that affects the nervous system and causes severe physical and learning disabilities. We were told Lucca likely will never talk, and we had no guarantee of him being able to walk. Lucca will need lifelong care.

Our hearts were completely shattered – I will never forget that appointment.

We are still learning to adjust to Lucca’s diagnosis – it affects nearly every element of our life. What hasn’t changed is our love for him though.

We are absolutely dedicated to giving Lucca the best chance in life. Unfortunately, every therapy and piece of equipment comes at a huge cost, so we are looking for anything anyone can give towards this cause. It will mean so much to our little family and our beautiful Lucca.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

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