Olivia’s Fund
Donation protected
Hi everyone my name is Emma, those who know me know that I’m a very proud mum to 3 amazing children. My youngest of which is my very special, extraordinary ,brave , daughter Olivia.
Olivia has been poorly since birth. Born very premature , she had to fight for survival from the very start of her life, and she’s still fighting now harder than ever aged 9.
Olivia was diagnosed with a very complex form of gastro intestinal failure, abnormal myopathies (muscles) and neuropathic (nerves) effecting her stomach , bowel ,bladder and every aspect of daily life in the most extreme and debilitating ways. Exhausting all my nursing skills and motherly capabilities, never mind the heartbreak and extreme emotional rollercoaster.
We were told this is a life limiting condition. Sadly we already knew this as we lost Olivia’s sister Jessica at 3years of age from the very same condition.
For Olivia this means, a life spent without food and drink , the inability to digest or absorb, and complete bowel and bladder incontinence, a life that is very medically controlled, in which she often needs to spend more time in hospital than home. Olivia is so vulnerable she needs careful precise 24hr monitoring and an awful lot of medication to get her through each and every day, unable to attend school , play with friends, reach her full potential , have a normal childhood.
Olivia suffers intense pain from bladder and bowel spasms, needing palliative care medication’s, Diamorphine, Fentanyl , Midazolam , Amitriptyline, to name just a few.
Olivia has endured many operations, stomas, bowel resections, stomach and bowel draining tubes , lines going into her heart. Her stomach is on free drainage continuously , vomiting, fatigue, dizziness, fainting and pain plague her every day life.
Olivia completely relies on life saving TPN , an intravenous nutrition fed into her bloodstream via pumps and 3 intravenous lines , now up to 22hrs every single day! The only freedom she can have is those 2 hrs off, whilst still having to contend with all her other symptoms.
Unfortunately this means Olivia is at high risk of line infections, and the last 2 years her condition has massively declined, due to 4 bouts of life threatening blood sepsis, the latest of which led to life support and critical care.
In spite of her condition, Olivia is a very happy, funny, intelligent, sassy young lady, beautiful inside and out, beyond brave, a true warrior princess in her fight for life!
However , It has become extremely difficult to care for Olivia safely in her own home.
We need to build a single storey wheelchair accessible extension to give Olivia the care and support she needs all on one level.
This is why we need your help!!!
Despite all our hard work and best efforts as a family, full planning permission and government grant available it only covers some of the cost!
We simply don’t have enough! We are £30,000 short. A huge amount that we can’t afford.
Olivia deserves the very best!!!
asking for help is very difficult for me. I’m very strong and independent & I cope with all life throws at me! It has been extremely hard writing this but sometimes we all need help and this is one of those occasions where I need to put pride aside.
This build will change the quality of Olivia’s life and keep her safe. It will give her a fully equipped wheelchair accessible bedroom with hospital bed , room for all her pumps , and area for nightly supervised care. A sterile room to carry out the aseptic technique needed to set up her TPN IV medications in the safest way possible reducing the risk of infection, and a fully equipped wet room essential to her daily cares , and the privacy she needs as a 9 year old young lady, for changing and emptying her many stoma bags , everyday bathing etc which is very difficult in our family upstairs bathroom.
We can’t achieve this alone, there’s no time to waste!
Please can you help us to help our beautiful Olivia have the best and happy life , safely in the comfort of her own home with her loving family for as long as that maybe.
We thank you all and will be forever grateful for any support you can give. xxx
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Fundraising team (2)
Emma Collins
Organizer
Cymru
Kelly Morris
Team member