Hello,

Thanks for visiting our crowdfunding page.

This beautiful picture is of my niece Jamie with her beloved pony, Cameron. 

Living with autism, Jamie can struggle with daily life. Cameron gave Jamie a much-needed safe space. He was her best friend and their bond was unique. When Cameron died two years ago the grief was so overwhelming, Jamie stopped talking.

However, it also triggered a neurological response and Jamie's body began to shut down. In a devastatingly short time, the whole family had to watch, helplessly, as Jamie's condition has deteriorated until she came unable to move.

Jamie was diagnosed with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND), a complex condition that affects the function of the nervous system. The messages the brain and body send to each other gets confused, resulting in full body paralysis, painful spasms and seizures (www.neurosymptoms.org).

On her 21st Birthday, I watched as Jamie sat in a wheelchair while my sister spoon-fed her a piece of her birthday cake. Jamie still hasn’t spoken a word since she lost Cameron.

There are no services for FND in Argyll and Bute so my amazing sister, Jenny, spent hours and hours researching different private treatment options. She found a trauma therapist to help Jamie process the grief of losing Cameron and an FND neuro-physiotherapist in Edinburgh to help teach Jamie’s body how to move again.

Unfortunately, these treatments  (plus travel, accommodation and specialist equipment) are expensive. Family and friends kindly helped out. However, more money was needed to help Jamie’s recovery and so we started this crowdfunding page to fund 8 weeks intensive treatment.

In just 4 months, we had raised over our target of £15,000 through independent donors and a range of community events. These included Jump for Jamie, a horse jumping event held by the Pony Club and local gardeners opened up their gardens to raise money. In September 2022, we held Jamie's Ceilidh in Tayvallich Village Hall to celebrate reaching our target.

Jamie continues to receive regular treatment. She is receiving neuro processing to help her nervous system regain stability and allow her to begin working with the neurologist physiotherapist on a more intensive level.

Jamie is slowly recovering. She has been using neurotechnology, a Molii Suit which is designed to stimulate her muscles. Jamie was recently able to swim FOUR lengths of her local pool using only her right arm. This happened after regular use of the Molii suit which has stimulated her arm, in particular. Jamie continues to show amazing adaptability, determination and creativity, for example, she has continued her love of painting by using a paintbrush with her mouth!!

Thanks to the incredible kindness of Jamie's local community, she has been given this opportunity to continue to recover. Whilst we have raised our target amount, there are ongoing costs associated with Jamie's ongoing disability and treatment. Therefore, we welcome any donations gratefully.

Thank you for visiting Jamie's Just Giving page.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact me directly on cath_shaw@outlook.com, mobile 07943 394157 or you can find me on facebook (Cath Shaw https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057634028911) where I will give updates on Jamie's recovery.

Thanks so much! Cath xxx