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office@just4children.org
0800 169 1601
Go Team Elmo!
Just4Children seeks funds to support Elmo access the therapies he needs to enjoy a better quality of life.
In May 2015, Elliot ‘Elmo’ was born six weeks prematurely, and his blood sugars became so dangerously low in the hours after his birth that he suffered a brain injury. He has already spent more time in hospital than some people will in their entire lives, in and out of intensive care, receiving emergency treatment and ventilation due to severe infections.
Doctors said that it was unlikely Elmo would see his first birthday, but this little champion has defied all odds, largely thanks to early interventional therapies and treatments. Now, despite a weekly schedule that is packed full – with physio, occupational therapy, hippo-therapy, CME, visual therapy and speech and language therapy – Elmo lives quite happily with his parents and big brother Oliver in Hertfordshire. Though still yet unable to walk, talk or communicate, he continues to progress past everyone’s expectations. Recently, he’s even started to attend a local special needs school.
Elmo has a cortical visual impairment, delayed development and very low muscle tone, making even sitting up on his own a huge effort. However, he is a very strong-willed and determined little boy. Every day is a struggle but he overcomes every challenge that he has so far been faced with. There is no cure for a brain injury, but there are treatments and therapies that can reduce the impact the condition has on Elmo. In time, these may help him achieve some independence.
He has also benefited from the input of the NAPA centre in California, who offer an innovative treatment program designed to help children like Elmo meet their developmental milestones. Treatment of this kind is incredibly expensive, requiring him to be taken to America for weeks at a time.
Further fundraising efforts will hopefully continue to enable Elmo to access the numerous therapies he needs, and amazing facilities such as NAPA, to ultimately give him a better quality of life. It may be several years until his prognosis is truly understood, but in the meantime Elmo continues work hard, and his family strive to create as many opportunities for him to enjoy life as they can. Despite what many might see as reasons to give up, Elmo fights on with a giggle and a huge smile on his face!
Every donation, no matter how small, helps to make a difference to little Elmo and brighten his future beyond measure.
Thank you
