Hi,

It's been a while since we last checked in and updated all our followers on what has been going on. Here goes....

Fundraising: We continue to have momentum with the fundraising events and there always seems to be something going on for Team Elsie, whether that is a solo effort like Becky Hitchcock doing the triathlon or a group organised event like the Fun'd'ay due to take place in September. We would like to thank everybody for their continued support no matter how big or small! The fundraising total stands at a very impressive 30k!!!

How has the money helped so far?: Back in May we took delivery of Elsie's first manual wheelchair (Abu, as Elsie calls him). The wheelchair is made by Panthera who also supply the Paralympian team with their wheelchairs due to the lightweight design. We were originally told by certain medical professionals that Elsie would struggle with the self propelling skill required to use a manual chair. Once again she has proved the experts wrong and continues to gain the strength to wiz round in "Abu". We have also been able to purchase a specially adapted stroller (Special Tomato) that provides significant postural support for Elsie whilst allowing us to access places that have challenging terrain. The postural cushions that come as part of the seat double up as support for Elsie when we eat out at restaurants which means she doesn't have to sit in a high chair and feel like a baby. We have also been paying for Elsie to access a hydrotherapy pool every week as this enables her to exercise her muscles and loosen up in the support of the warm water. Theses sessions cost £50 a week so you can see how this can start to add up. Unfortunately Elsie is only entitled to 6 sessions through the NHS per year even though studies show that hydrotherapy can increase movement and maintain muscle strength. We are grateful to the parents of Elsie's friends who have brought their children along to help reduce the cost but also to 'normalise' it for her so she can have fun in the water with her friends.

Elsie: Elsie is as bright as a button and a very happy 2 year old. The equipment Elsie currently has allows her to get on with life and access the things her friends can. She absorbs information like a sponge and has started asking questions about her ability. This is sometimes difficult to explain but we made a promise that we would never lie to her or dampen her spirits.

What's next?: 2017 will be a busy and expensive year. We have started to look at Elsie's next wheelchair and a wheelchair adapted vehicle to transport her in. There are several schemes available for the WAV but early research in to the wheelchair suggests that we could be looking at spending anywhere between 15 and 25k. We are currently going through the disabled facilities grant application in order to make the adaptations to our home that will improve Elsie's quality of life and meet her long term medical needs. The grant allows us to access up to £30k but we believe that to get the right adaptation for Elsie we will need £50k.

Thank you for taking the time to read this update.

Team Elsie X