News

Charity gift is a ray of Sunshine

04 September 2007

Youngster has new-found freedom thanks to buggy

LITTLE Clodagh Elliott is enjoying new-found freedom thanks to help from the Sunshine Fund. Clodagh, seven, has a condition called hypotonia, which causes weak and floppy muscles and makes walking extremely difficult.

She can pull herself up to a standing position but cannot then stand on her own, although physiotherapy is helping her improve all the time. But now she has this special buggy, which means she can enjoy family holidays and days out to her heart’s content.

The buggy, costing £460, is specially designed for off-road use and is much more versatile than an ordinary wheelchair. Mum Vicky, from Fulwell, Sunderland, said: “We love to go on long walks and holidays, but it has been difficult in the past.

“Now it’s fantastic. Clodagh has access to so many places she just wouldn’t have been able to get to on her own before.“We went to the Lake District recently and it was lovely.”

Vicky, 38, says Clodagh has to attend medical appointments in London once a month, and the buggy has made using public transport much easier.
The mother-of-three added: “We go down on GNER and the buggy means my husband and I have a bit more independence now as well as Clodagh. “The buggy makes things so much easier for everybody getting her on and off the train. “It’s amazing because the buggy is not something the health service or social services would be able to provide. We are very grateful to the Sunshine Fund.”

The charity provides equipment which makes a significant improvement to the lives of children who are either living with a disability or are seriously ill. It is equipment that is usually not available from normal sources, such as the NHS, because of funding restrictions.

Anyone who would like more information, or who would like to donate, can call Jo Harris on (0191) 201 6289.


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