Appeal Launched to Fund Specialist Chair for Scarborough Teenager

A fundraising campaign has been launched to buy a new specialist seating system for a Scarborough Teenager.

A Scarborough teenager who needs a new £4,000 specialist seating system has been offered a quarter of the money by the Children Today Charitable Trust.

Charlie Hall has quadriplegic cerebral palsy, he's outgrown his existing chair and needs a new one so that he can continue to interact with family and friends.

Speaking on Paddy @ Breakfast, Charlie's Mum, Olivia Stirling, says they've been given some money by the Children Today Charitable Trust and are now looking at ways to raise the rest of the money.

Children Today has pledged £1,000 towards the cost of the seating system, but the family still needs to raise a further £3,043 to get this much-needed equipment. The charity trust have launched a fundraising page at https://www.childrentoday.org.uk/helpcharlie/

Olivia says the support they have received from family, friends and the charitable trust has been amazing.

Olivia says:

“Charlie’s had a really difficult journey. He was born eight weeks prematurely along with his twin brother, Evan, weighing just four pound four ounces.

“The boys had Twin-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS), which wasn’t spotted in the early stages of the pregnancy but once it was I was heavily monitored and spent eight weeks in hospital mile from home before they were born. The doctors decided that they would need to be delivered early to give them a greater chance of survival.”     

TTTS affects identical twins who share a placenta and results in an imbalanced blood flow, leaving one baby with a greater blood volume than the other, which effects their growth and development in the womb.

Olivia continues:

“Charlie was actually the bigger twin – known as the donor in TTTS twins – he was receiving more of the blood, and seemed to be developing well, but Evan was just two pounds four ounces when he was born.

“Both boys spent a lot of time in intensive care and several weeks on the neonatal unit, and despite being the bigger twin, Charlie was very poorly. Against all odds Evan thrived, but Charlie was struggling.

“In those early days he cried a lot and we had lots of difficulties with feeding and sleep. Then at just seven months old Charlie was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and our world imploded.”

Initially it was not clear what Charlie’s long-term needs would be. The family had to take each day as it came, but it soon became apparent that Charlie’s needs were very complex.

Olivia says:

“Charlie is quadriplegic, meaning all four of Charlie’s limbs are affected, so there’s very little he can do for himself and because of the spasms and stiffness caused by the cerebral palsy he’s often in pain and discomfort. Despite all that though, he’s such a bright, happy and sociable boy. He understand everything and speaks well, though his speech can be affected by his medication.”

“We have to carefully manage Charlie’s physical needs to help ease tightness and stiffness throughout his body, he has a strict 24-hour postural management plan and without the P-Pod chair Charlie’s comfortable options are very limited.

“He can lie in his bed, but that means he’s excluded from the family, and Charlie loves nothing more than to be around people.

“Charlie absolutely loves football and music, he needs constant entertainment. Given the chance he’s the sort of boy who would always be on the go – playing sport and practising music, he would love to be able to play the piano. But unfortunately those things aren’t an options for Charlie.”

“I feel we owe it to Charlie to fight to give him the best possible quality of life. It breaks my heart when he tells me ‘I wish I could be a normal boy’ and  know how hard it must be for him having such a bright mind but a body that doesn’t allow him the things he dreams of doing.

“Charlie is such a ‘people person’ and this chair would mean he can be with us all as a family, comfortably and safely. Unfortunately though these things come with a huge price tag, which is why we turned to Children Today for help.”    

In 2021 Charlie underwent orthopaedic surgery to help improve his range of movement and prevent his hips from dislocating, and try to relieve some of the pain and discomfort he experiences when he has spasms in his legs and lower back.

Charlie was given a seating system by the NHS to help manage his postural needs and cater for functional activities such as mealtimes and educational activities. However, it offers little comfort and the P-Pod chair he has been using is no longer big enough for him.   

Children’s disability charity, Children Today Charitable Trust, has launched an urgent appeal to raise funds for a specialist seating system.

Mum, Olivia, says it will make a massive difference to Charlie.

Emma Prescott, charity director at Children Today, says:

“Sadly, statutory provision so often doesn’t meet the full needs of the children we support, like Charlie.

“Having even the most basic level of comfort is quite simply priceless and for Charlie this seating system will give him the opportunity for relaxation and to just chill out, the same way we enjoy putting our feet up on the sofa at the end of a day.

“Every little really does go a long way, so any donation small or large could help Charlie get comfortable and do the thing he loves most, socialising! Thank you!”

To make a donation to help Charlie get this life-changing seating system visit: www.childrentoday.org.uk/helpcharlie.

Any funds raised over and above what we need to provide this equipment will go towards helping fund vitally important equipment for other children and young adults with a disability or life-limiting condition.