Keiras BIG build

KEIRA

DUNFERMLINE,FIFE

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Keira is our 14 year old daughter who we are raising the funds to adapt our house as it currently does not fit her every day needs.

Keira has spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy and epilepsy and at present we are having to carry her upstairs and downstairs to her bedroom and to the bathroom, she also currently gets her continence pads changed on the floor (rug) as it's just impossible to carry up and downstairs so many times a day. A stair lift or through the floor lift is not an option as our 11 year old son has severe autism and OT has deemed both options a health and safety risk due to our son's lack of danger awareness.  Ground floor bedroom/wet-room adaptions is the option OT has suggested for our ever growing family needs.

Like any teenager we also feel it is time for Keira to have her own privacy and dignity that she desires and absolutely deserves. A safe space for her to be able to go when she comes home from school and watch TV on her own (controlled by her eye gaze technology) with no one else around.  Somewhere to play on her I-pad and listen to her music which she absolutely loves to do everyday. Every year we fundraise to take Keira to USA to do intensive Thera-suit therapy which she has been doing since she was 2.5 years old, 3 weeks of 4 hours a day therapy which she loves. It would be amazing to be able to get home from her therapy and have her space to relax after such hard graft.

As Keira gets older it is getting harder to get up and down the stairs and also it is quite scary carrying a 14 year old.  Having a downstairs space would benefit all of the family so much in so many ways; mum and dads back gets a big big old rest from such heavy lifting which is something we all need to take care of. When Keira's little brother wakes up during the night (most nights) Keira will be unaware of this as she would be downstairs and she won't wake up like now, making us less anxious about her seizures which she tends to have upon waking up or drifting back to sleep. Future proofing our home to meet Keira's needs now and into adolescence and adulthood is a huge step, with many costs which we need help from our community in doing so.

The adaptions that we intend to make to our home will allow us to continue to care for Keira as she gets bigger and older and as we get older. It also secures independent living for Keira once she reaches adulthood and also a place where any future carers that come to help with Keira's needs have all the essentials necessary to provide the care she needs.

We have been awarded the Disabled Facilities Grant from Fife council which is £20,000 and have had 3 different companies in to discuss our options. We are hoping to go ahead with the build next year but obviously we are still a long way off target with £65,000 to raise. The price of building materials has rocketed so we have had to raise our target by £15,000. Building work cannot be started until we have raised the amount needed as the grant that our council has promised us will not be released.

FUNDS RAISED SO FAR

We have raised £3,382 - Keira did a sponsored 2 mile walk in her MyWay walker and her wee buddy Reece did a 10 mile bike ride and between them and the communities very generous donations and sponsors we raised the above amount.

Sullivan's Heroes have pledged a fantastic £1,000 towards Keira's BIG build.

Stephens the Bakers fund pledged £717.59 towards a height adjustable bed for Keira.

National Benevolent charity have pledged £500 towards flooring.

Cash for Kids Forth FM have pledged £6840 for Keiras wet-floor shower room.

And a further £200 was raised at Christmas on an online raffle.

£200 donation from the lovely Kevin C once again.

£15,000,000 donation from someone who wishes to remain anonymous.

£5000 from ExxonMobil to go towards a new eye gaze device which will be connected to her lights, TV, to give her full control of her surroundings.

The Pauley family raised a whooping £472.50 doing the kiltwalk.

Rotary club Dunfermline pledged £250.

Additional funding from Sullivan’s Heroes £2500.

CRSMITH has kindly donated all the windows and front and back doors for Keira's BIG build.

We have saved money to put towards Keiras build by remortgaging our property. brings our offline donations total to £51,834.20 so far.

Adapting a property is not something that is easily done and a lot of planning has to go into it for all aspects of your child and families life for now and for the future.  Please help us get this right for Keira to give her the life she needs to be a stroppy little teenager just like any other her age in her own bedroom because I know at any given chance my little Diva will find a way to slam her bedroom door on my face and oh do I long for that day!

Happy girl all the time.

Keira is our 14 year old little Miss Diva as we like to call her now. She has the most amazing personality that shines through her smile and wins over everyone she meets. Keira has spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy and epilepsy and is a full time wheelchair user currently learning how to use a powerchair (watch your toes Fife).

She is a music lover, her absolute favourite being Coldplay and Ed Sheeran. She will navigate on her I-pad to her hearts content to find her music videos and she will be in her element. She is able to sit independently on the floor to watch tv and play, her likes vary so much when it comes to television and film watching.

Every year, once a year Keira works hard doing an intensive Thera-suit therapy program in Orlando that we also fundraise throughout the year to do which she has been doing since she was 2.5. She enjoys doing therapy at school, at home also. She loves to be as independent as she possibly can which is great, she has such amazing spirit.

Keira communicates with her Tobii eye gaze communication device and it will be exciting to see how she evolves in the future in her own space being able to control her lights, television just using her eyes on her device on her own.

We just have to get her there and just like everything else we will, eventually. A new personal space for Keira will be a game changer for her in so many ways. We are so excited to see what the future brings with your help and support.