A Dundee mum with two disabled children says she is overwhelmed by the generosity of strangers who have rallied round to help her for the second time in less than a year.
Elise Robinson, 25, launched a fundraising page last week to try to raise £1,200 to buy a special ‘dream’ bed and other equipment for her two-year-old daughter Cassie.
The youngster has Rett syndrome, a disorder that affects brain development and results in severe mental and physical disability.
It affects Cassie’s ability to speak, walk, eat and breathe.
Elise needs the bed, which is made purely of foam, to prevent her daughter from being bruised on other solid structures.
Within days of launching the Cassie’s Dream Bed fundraiser it had almost reached its target.
It comes after another appeal by Elise last year, to raise £1,500 for equipment to support her son Spencer, reached its target in just hours.
Twice now, total strangers have responded to my pleas for help and made such a difference to us.”
Elise said: “I’m completely blown away by the generosity of people.
“Twice now, total strangers have responded to my pleas for help and made such a difference to us.
“I’m just so grateful that so many people have donated, so we can give Cassie the safest bed possible.”
Mum ‘felt awful’ asking for help again
In a message on the fundraising page Cassie wrote: “I did a fundraiser last year so I feel awful for having to do another but having both of my kids disabled doesn’t make things come easy.
“I’m the last one to ask for help but here I am, because when it’s your kids you will do anything.
“We have been quoted £600 to take back her old bed and receive a new one with higher sides to ensure her safety and give me peace of mind – not constantly checking if she’s OK.
“I won’t lie, £600 isn’t something we have lying around but needs must.”
Elise says a new bed, along with physio equipment, will be a huge help to Cassie.
“The bed is really soft for her and it gives her the ability to move around freely,” she said.
“The new bed is much higher because she tends to try pulling herself up, so the higher bed will prevent the risk of her badly hurting herself.”
Cassie was born prematurely at 30 weeks by caesarean section and weighed only 3lbs 4oz.
She was diagnosed with spastic quadriplegia cerebral palsy and then that led to Rett syndrome.
Elise said: “Cassie has to wear splints on her legs and use a standing frame to build muscle.
“She attends a lot of appointments including physiotherapy and occupational therapy.
“Using her splints she can stand with someone holding her up for a few seconds but she cannot properly stand, walk, run or any of the things a two-year-old does.
“She can sit up and roll around, and she shuffles herself to where she needs to go.
Cassie ‘loves life’
“Cassie is quite badly affected by Rett syndrome but she doesn’t let this stop her.
“She’s the happiest, most fun-loving, curly-haired girl who just loves life. She doesn’t know the difference and neither do we so she’s just our Cassie.
“It’s so lovely to see how our amazing community of friends, family and fellow parents with autistic children and ones with Rett syndrome have rallied round to support us.
“The fundraiser is way beyond what we imagined. We thought we could get some, then we would save for the rest, but we’ve just been so lucky to have an amazing network to achieve this.”
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