Help Poppy!

[Andy G]

Hi Guys

I read about this tonight and was touched by Poppys story and felt the urge to do something to help. If some of you feel similarly there is a link below;

"I hope you don’t mind but I wanted to share with you all the story of Poppy Smith, aged 6. Her parents Laura and Mark are active supporters of the GOOD campaign, and the family live here in Gullane.

Poppy is a typical 6 year old. She has just started Primary 2 and loves arts and crafts, playing outside with her friends, bouncing on her trampoline in the garden, going on her scooter and trying to master cartwheels. Poppy also loves fairies!

On 21 September 2016 everything changed. Poppy was off school the day before with mild cold symptoms. By the next morning she was unable to swallow and her right arm was paralysed. By the time she arrived at the hospital the paralysis had progressed and over the course of 12 hours she was unable to move her neck, both upper limbs; was unable to breathe for herself and was weak in her torso and both legs.

Tests revealed that Poppy was suffering from Acute Flaccid Myelitis. This very rare condition is a complication of a common virus and causes inflammation and damage to the grey matter of the spinal cord. This means that the nerves taking messages from Poppy’s brain to her muscles are not working and this renders her paralysed. Unfortunately in Poppy’s case the muscles affected are those controlling speech, swallowing and breathing; as well as control of her limbs and some of her facial muscles.

Poppy was taken to intensive care where she was put on ventilator to keep her alive.

8 weeks on and Poppy remains in intensive care. She is now intubated through a tracheostomy in her neck. She has already been affected with many complications of AFM including a hospital acquired wound infection, skin and urinary tract infections, collapsed lungs and high blood pressure. She has to endure daily painful blood tests, tape and tube changes, frequent trips to the operating theatre, medicines which make her feel sick or sleepy, and intensive physiotherapy which is painful and tiring.

Her brain is completely unaffected so Poppy understands everything that is happening but is unable to speak as her voice is absent due to a combination of the AFM and the endotracheal tube.

However, Poppy is alive and is a courageous, brave, bright and strong little girl with a life ahead of her.

As AFM is so rare the level of recovery remains uncertain but doctors think it likely that Poppy will require long-term home ventilation. She will need 24 hour care, adaptations to her home to enable wheelchair access, hoists and other equipment.

As a community we would like to raise as much money as possible to help with some of these expenses and especially to enable her communication and her mobility. We are hoping at the very least to fund a digital communication tech package for poppy and a bespoke wheelchair.

To this end some of The Smith’s friends have set up a crowdfunding page to raise money for Poppy. We have also set up a facebook page and a twitter account to spread the word and harness as much community support as possible.

I would be very grateful if you could take a moment to read about Poppy, donate if you can and spread the word via email/social media.

http://goodorg.us13.list-manage.com/tra ... 973193b7c3

http://goodorg.us13.list-manage.com/tra ... 973193b7c3

Twitter @teampoppy1
#TeamPoppy

Many thanks"

Andy

[Kinger]

Very touching, poor wee girl.

Hope we SE'rs can help with her cause.

[mwmackenzie]

As a father of a 7 year old daughter this story is truly heart breaking, I feel so much for poor Poppy and her family and pray for a recovery from this horrible illness.

[Jam_s160]

Thanks for sharing Andy... donated... tugs at the heart strings too. Its scary to experience the true costs when such situations arrise. We lost our 2nd daughter Isabell after 6mths due to a complications during birth. The out come she we severly disabled, would never be able to feed herself along side many other things. Her life expectancy was unknown and even in the first 6 mths of her life the costs for life depending equipment at home, transportation and hospital medication soon began to mount up.

We werent alone and met many families deeling with various tough long term medical problems with their kids too. Every penny helps in such situations thanks for sharing

[Dominic]

Donation made.

[jj]

... tugs at the heart strings too. Its scary to experience the true costs when such situations arrise. We lost our 2nd daughter Isabelle after 6mths due to a complications during birth.

Unfortunately I know exactly how you feel; my first son Rafferty passed away when he was just over two months old. For me it was life-changing, and my heart goes out to anyone going or who has gone through similar.

[Alistair]

Makes you realise how fragile what you have can be - good luck to all. Can't imagine how scary it must be for little Poppy not to be able to communicate any more - will be great to enable this for her again - popped a wee donation in - I'm sure every little helps.

Alistair

[Jam_s160]

... tugs at the heart strings too. Its scary to experience the true costs when such situations arrise. We lost our 2nd daughter Isabelle after 6mths due to a complications during birth.

Unfortunately I know exactly how you feel; my first son Rafferty passed away when he was just over two months old. For me it was life-changing, and my heart goes out to anyone going or who has gone through similar.

RIP Rafferty and im sure they are both playing together somewhere happily

[Andy G]

thanks for the support gents - Poppy is going to need life long care.

However she seems to have a remarkable spirit and managed some drawing today.

[Andy G]

some good news chaps - by last night they'd hit £27k of the £40k they were trying to raise!

Poppy has managed to draw a bit and write also and seems from all accounts in remarkably good spirits.

Trying to sort out a loaner Eye Gaze system for her today, and a Skoog!

[Alistair]

some good news chaps - by last night they'd hit £27k of the £40k they were trying to raise!

Poppy has managed to draw a bit and write also and seems from all accounts in remarkably good spirits.

Trying to sort out a loaner Eye Gaze system for her today, and a Skoog!

[romtootes]

Thanks to all who donated to this, Another Gullane resident here who ran a similar thread on Seloc and it was god to see some old friends and familiar names on the donated list. Just discovered via Jam160 that we had a sister thread on SE.

Cheers
Tom Rootes