| Tilly
hands were amputated in March 2007. Her toes dropped off at
home. We have watched our baby girl in so much pain and be
so brave. She truly is an inspiration to everyone she meets
and manages so well without hands and walks unaided in normal
shoes. She has her own style but at least she does it. Tilly
took her first steps at the age of two and a half.
Giving Tilly a Hand...
We created the 'Give Tilly a Hand Appeal' to provide funds
for the upkeep and renewal of the prothetics, as well as
securing Tilly's future needs and adaptations. A charity
called Meningitis Help offered us their support and use
of their charity number so we could legally fundraise for
Tilly. We decided that once we made the decision to buy
the first pair of hands then we would have to be sure to
have enough funds available to replace them for the rest
of Tilly's life, and that was a huge commitment. This is
what I do now. I dedicate my life to looking after my family
and building up Tilly's trust fund.
She received her first prosthetic hands from Dorset Orthopaedic.
She was three years old which made her the youngest child
to receive that kind of electronic hand. She takes them
to nursery every day and is learning to write and draw with
them on. We want Tilly to be at the forefront of science
so she can always have the best hands.
Touch Bionics (www.touchbionics.com)
We are currently working with the Scottish company Touch
Bionics - the brains behind the i-LIMB Hand (the world’s
first electronic prosthetic hand to offer five fully articulating
fingers). The i-LIMB Hand is currently only available to
children over 13 years of age, but with Tilly's help they
are hoping to develop new child prosthetics for much younger
children.
Hugh Gill, director of Touch Bionics’ Centre of Excellence,
said: “Tilly’s device is now faster and can apply
more grip force, which should help increase the range of
tasks she can perform with it.” Watch this space for
further developments...
Supporting Meningitis Help
Meningitis Help are the charity that we work under. Yearly
we like to donate something back to Meningitis. Our case
advisor Tony Neve has been there for us from the beginning
and he is always there when we need him for advice and support.
I can't think of a more worthy cause to raise money for.
They help and support families up and down the country who
have children in similar situations as Tilly!
If anyone needs any more info about anything you read on
this site regarding the Meningitis Help charity please contact
Tony at meningitishelp@aol.com
Immunosonic Machine Appeal
Up until now if a child or adult was suspected of having
Meningitis, in most cases they would have to undergo the
trauma of having a lumber punch (spinal injection to draw
off spinal fluid), then a culture would be made from that
fluid. This can take up to 48 hours. With Meningitis time
is of the uppermost importance, so a few hours delay can
mean the difference between life and death.
The Immunosonic can diagnose all forms of Meningitis and
Septicaemia from a simple blood sample without the need
for a lumber punch in 30 MINUTES
-
click here for further information on this important piece
of equipment.
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