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Katie and Bear

Page updated - 25 May 2009

 

[Katie is a young lady who lives in Great Cornard and does not have the benefits that so many of us take for granted. Bear travels tirelessly raising money. - Webmaster]

 

Katie was born at 38 weeks gestation on 27 September 2003 after an uncomplicated and uneventful pregnancy. It was apparent from the start that there were a few problems as Katie was a very floppy and sleepy newborn, with little desire to feed. Katie was discharged after 4 weeks with no real diagnosis or reason for her problems. In 2007 Katie was finally diagnosed with Extra Pyramidal Cerebral Palsy.

 

Cerebral Palsy effects people in many different ways, some show minor, sometimes unnoticeable symptoms and others suffer more major, disabling symptoms. In Katie’s case, she is completely dependent on others for all her cares, she cannot talk, crawl, walk or sit, she cannot wash or dress herself, she cannot feed herself and still drinks from a bottle. Last summer Katie had major surgery on both her hips, and was also diagnosed with Epilepsy. Katie suffers regularly from chest infections, an unfortunate risk to people with disabilities like Katie’s, and just recently suffered a bout of Pneumonia, from which she is still slowly recovering.

 

Katie is now 5 and a half years old, and is a beautiful and happy little girl who likes lots of one to one attention, she loves music, stories and tapping on her tambourine. She adores her younger twin siblings who in return fetch her toys and books when she is upset. She has got the most infectious smile, a really cheeky giggle and is adored by all who meet her.

 

To help Katie meet her full potential and enjoy some of the simple things in life that we may take for granted, I plan to set up a trust for Katie with the various fundraising campaigns and donations that raise money for equipment and other things Katie needs that are not available on the NHS. Currently we are aiming towards raising enough funds to build Katie her very own sensory/therapy room at home.

 

The equipment we are hoping to kit her sensory room out with includes, fibre optics, mirrors, lights, music, projector, bubble tube and a soft seating/cushion area for Katie to lay and relax and enjoy the stimulating sensory displays, this will all help Katie develop further by keeping her mind stimulated and active and also encourages her to interact and learn.

 

Apart from all the other generous donations to Funds4Katie, we recently raffled pairs of tickets for three different concerts by Take That, Sugababes and James Morrison. Another ‘Fundraiser’ is Bear who accompanies travellers around the world and, to date, Bear has over 50,000 miles whilst travelling to many destinations and raised over £5000. This year Bear did his first London Marathon in a time of 3hours 8mins 40secs when he accompanied Paul Preston. [Not bad for someone with such short legs. Bear has short legs not Paul Preston. – Ed.]

 

To find out how you can be part of Bear Around The World email Bear Around The World  or click here to visit the Bear Around The World website  . All monies raised from Bear’s travels go towards our Funds 4 Katie campaign. You can contact me, click here to email me or telephone (01787) 371509.

 

Thank you for your support.

 

Charmaine (Katie’s Mum)

06 May 2009