Our beautiful daughter Jessie is now eleven years old. Having been born perfectly healthy, she suffered a severe hypoglycaemic seizure at ten months old, which left her with extreme brain damage. As a result, she is quadriplegic and unable to sit or stand unaided. She is severely visually impaired, fed by gastrostomy tube and cannot speak. She has multiple seizures every day and her muscles are often stiff and uncomfortable. She struggles to regulate her temperature and is sensitive to loud noise and bright lights.

Despite all these daily challenges, Jessie is a happy and fun-loving girl with an amazing smile that lights up any room! She loves being around other people and listening to everyone chatting, especially when there is a good joke to be had. She especially loves her big sister, Lily, who is wonderful with her, understanding Jessie's many needs and ensuring that she she always feels happy and included.

Jessie loves going to school and has lots of lovely friends there. She enjoys watching the fibre optic lights and bubble tube in the sensory room, listening to music and stories and best of all, going swimming in the hydro pool. She is learning to use her legs to activate switches to communicate. This is a huge challenge but will be a game changer if it allows her to start making her own choices. At home, she likes joining in with baking and making craft pictures, but is not so keen when things get messy and lets us know in no uncertain terms!

Jessie is our little star and we are incredibly proud of her. We are making these changes to our home to make sure she is comfortable, safe and able to join in with every aspect of family life as she grows up.