A soft landing

Born at just 31 weeks, Lucy’s first few hours were tough. The resulting complications have led to some developmental delays, which makes life challenging for the now two-year-old. But, thanks to a gift from Satan’s Little Helper, Lucy is getting ever closer to hitting her important milestones!

A lack of oxygen during Lucy’s premature birth led to her suffering two brain bleeds, which caused cerebral palsy. Since then, her mum Ella says life has been a mix of surgeries, therapies and small, hard-won milestones.

“She doesn’t move around much yet, so the floor is where she spends most of her day,” explains Ella. “She also has Waardenburg syndrome, which has caused some hearing loss, and a cleft palate that’s needed several surgeries – though her most recent one, heartbreakingly, didn’t go as planned.

“Doctors can’t say whether she’ll ever be able to move normally but we’re working hard to give her the best chance possible.”

Strong sprit

Because of her condition, Lucy is only just starting to hold her head up on her own. She can’t sit or roll by herself yet and her right side has limited movement – almost like she’s had a stroke. She also has a feeding tube and doesn’t eat anything orally. But Lucy is not without support and despite everything, she keeps going – and so does her whānau.

“She’s got a specially designed support chair and a standing frame to help build her strength, and we take her to weekly physiotherapy to help her gain as much mobility as possible,” says Ella.

While the weekly physio is great, Ella was previously unable to continue the work at home because of her hard floors. When Satan’s Little Helper heard that, we knew we had to do something to help, so we sent her a special padded mat.

"With the mat Satan’s Little Helper provided, we’ve been able to do physio daily at home, which has brought her close to her sitting milestone," says Ella. "Her muscles are still very weak, but we are taking it day by day.

"It has helped her so much. We’re able to sit down on the ground with her and just do things together. I’ve even fallen asleep on it, it’s so comfy!"

A space to connect

The mat has become a new family space – a place to connect, rest and cheer Lucy on as she pushes for her next milestone.

"She’s happy to lay on her mat and watch her all-time favourite show, Bluey," Ella says, laughing. "She’s glued to it. She attempts to roll but doesn’t quite get fully over onto her tummy, but she’s trying!"

Lucy may be behind in developmental milestones but she’s way ahead when it comes to spirit. With daily physio, the right equipment, and endless love from her family, she’s making great progress one day at a time.