Siobhan Neale
Siobhan Neale is swimming a mile to raise money for the Tree of Hope to help Lyra
Fundraising for Tree of Hope
Story
Hello,
I am raising money for a little girl called Lyra. I will be swimming a mile in a local swimming pool on Moday November 18th. If I have to cancel for any reaon I will swim the mile later that week or the following Monday. I havent done any long distance swimming since before I had children and this will be a real challange for me. I will stop to hold the side, I may have to stop to sit on the side and I may have to get out to feed baby Crorrina but I will finish the mile! If you can sponor me to help Lyra's family get her the therapy she needs then that would be great. If you cant please read about CMV and the risks associated with it for pregnant women and help us raise awareness.
Below is an extact taken from the wesite www.thelifeoflyra.co.uk, this explains about Lyras struggle and why we are raising money:
About Lyra
Lyra was born on the16th July 2012.
After a normal pregnancy it came as a big shock when Lyra was born severely ill. She was born with congenital cmv, Hepatosplenomegaly, Thrombocytopenia and severe brain damage.
Her MRI shows polymicrogyria, microcepaly, severe cortical gyral abnormalities, marked dilation of all ventricals and calcifications. She has been registered blind and has cerebral palsy.
After 7 long weeks in hospital, daily blood tests, lots of blood and platelet transfusions we were finally allowed home. Before we left the hospital we were told we would be faced with many challenges. We would have a team of people that would be involved in helping us with Lyra's medical problems and development. They were not wrong. Lyra has a physiotherapist, speech and language therapist, Occupational therapist, Play specialists, VI specialist (Visually Impaired), Pediatrician Neurologist, Epilepsy Nurse, Key Worker and all the therapists at The Conductive Education Centre we take her to on a weekly basis. All of these people combined with blood tests and hospital appointments in London, Brighton and Eastbourne does mean that we are always busy!
Lyra is a very happy little girl, she eventually started smiling at around 5 months and hasn't stopped since. Although she is registered blind we think she can see some lights and she loves bubble tubes. She responds to sound and music and is learning to rely on her hearing more and more. She can't reach for toys or play with them but this doesn't stop her having fun. Her favorite activity is kicking her legs.
She doesn't babble or chatter like other babies her age but she has started to make some sounds and enjoys making little noises when she is on her own with one of us.
Since being born Lyra has had more blood tests than my whole family put together, numerous cannulas, long lines, and arterial lines, a liver biopsy, brain scans, liver and spleen scans, mri of her brain, fed by a tube and poked, prodded and checked over by a million doctors. She has been on lots of medication, vitamins and special formula. All this within the first few months of her short life.
We are trying to give Lyra the best start she can get with lots of stimulation and therapy and we are firm believers in Neuro-plasticity of the brain.
You can learn more at www.thelifeoflyra.co.uk
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