Our Families

Team Daniel

Description

Hi, my name is Daniel and I am 5 years old. I live on the Far North Coast of NSW with my Mum & Dad (Michelle & Grant). I have Ataxic Cerebral Palsy (CP) which means my balance is poor and my muscle tone is low.

When I was born at full-term I was quite small (2.5kg) and couldn't breathe on my own after my Dad cut my umbilical cord. I then had many apneas, where I stopped breathing, during my first few days. Two weeks later, on the day that Mum & Dad were about to take me home I started to have seizures.

I spent my first 12 weeks in and out of hospital with MRI's, CT scans, EEGs, heaps of blood tests, two lumbar punctures and tried various medications to control the seizures. My seizures suddenly stopped when I was 12 weeks old. The doctors couldn't explain why the apneas and seizures happened to me as my Mum had a normal pregnancy and birth, so it's all still a mystery.

Despite living with Cerebral Palsy I live a happy and full life. I love people (especially the ladies) and getting out and about doing stuff. I have just started Kindergarten this year at Southern Cross K-12 School Support Unit, a big step for me and my family! I also enjoy socialising with family & friends, music, swimming in warmer weather, Church and playing with my toys and computer. My Dad and I also enjoy going for a bike ride around town in my specially adjusted bike seat :)

I am also pretty busy with therapies such as Physiotherapy, Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Chiropractic & Naturopathic sessions. I can now sit up and support myself with my arms - a BIG achievement over the past year! I also ‘frog leap’ around on the floor to get to things, and am doing it now with increasing speed and strength! My family is hoping that one day I will be able to sit up by myself and play with toys, crawl along the floor and hopefully walk and talk and enjoy more independence as I get older and stronger. It takes a lot of hard work and lots of equipment and resources to achieve this but I love trying!

As I get older my equipment & resource needs are becoming more complex. Everything I need is not covered by funding so my family is facing bigger out of pocket expenses.

Our budget target is $35,000 and this is hoped to help pay the costs for my wheelchair modified vehicle, nappies, and other special needs items. These include special cups, spoons and smaller equipment & therapy items that all add up. There is also the cost of Chiropractic & Naturopathic expenses and supplements to keep me healthy. These needs may change over time, depending on my abilities and funding availability.

If you would like to help me achieve greater independence, please support us by making a donation. All donations over $2 are tax deductible and you get an instant receipt when making an online donation!

If you don't wish to make an online credit card donation, you can donate by making a payment by bank deposit, cash or cheque and still receive a tax deductible receipt. For info on how to do this please email my Mum, Michelle, at chellekk@hotmail.com

Thanks heaps for looking at my webpage! Dan xo