Life with cerebral palsy, dystonia, and ASD makes life a little different, but The Johnston Twins - Matthew and Lucy - will never fail to spread sunshine to everyone they meet. They say you can't put a price on a child's quality of life, but they do – and it's steep! The NHS won’t fund their requirements because it’s not guaranteed to work, so we fundraised for them to have their SDR operations, and there is truly no stopping them now.

Unfortunately, even after the surgeries, the twins require intense therapy, including physio, speech, occupational, and hydrotherapy, to make it all worthwhile. Putting 100% into everything they are asked to do has become the norm for Matthew and Lucy. But to make this all worthwhile, this has to be sustained at a cost of £50k per year.

Our family appreciates every ounce of effort, penny, and love we have been supported with over the past 4 years. It doesn’t go unnoticed, and the twins would not be anywhere near where they are today without the incredible support network we are surrounded by.

Matthew is hilarious and has really come into his own following his SDR surgery in 2020, gaining a little bit more of the freedom he deserves. It’s hard to imagine a 6-year-old having to do weight training just to be able to enjoy the freedom of walking. Despite being told Matthew would be wheelchair-bound for life, he is now taking independent steps where safe to do so, is confident walking with his frame, and now only needs his wheelchair when his legs get a little tired.

Lucy had her surgery just last year, and despite doctors saying she would never be able to speak, sit up on her own, or control her own body – she is now the chattiest person, is on the road to being able to walk with her frame, and is getting more and more independent as the days go by. Although she is in a lot less pain, her physio regime is tough – but she always does it with the biggest smile on her face. Lucy is the happiest child around, her laugh is infectious, and she makes everyone she meets smile. We just want to give her an opportunity to live her life to the absolute fullest and make that smile a little bit bigger!

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, 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, any funds that cannot be used will be transferred to be used for the general charitable purposes of Tree of Hope.