Laura – Firefly Splashy seat
Laura is a sweet 2 year old girl who loves music, Peppa Pig and Bananas in Pyjamas. Laura loves it when other people engage with her, particularly when they are speaking or singing to her.
Laura has a Global Developmental Delay; a neurological condition that results in severe developmental delays and difficult to control seizures and epilepsy. She also had scoliosis, a sleep disorder and visual impairment. Laura needs support with all aspects of daily living, feeding, medication, bathing, toileting, dressing, lifting, rolling, changing, communication and epilepsy management.
Like most families that have a child with physical disabilities and additional needs, there are huge financial strains. Specialised equipment and therapies are extremely expensive and families often are single income, as one parent needs to be home, as full-time carer and to attend medical appointments and hospital stays. Government funding can have extensive delays and is often restrictive. Laura’s family find themselves in this situation. Every day this family, like many others, are faced with challenges but receiving assistance from organisations, like MAD, makes the bad days a little easier to get through.
The MAD Foundation was able to help this family in such a special way. Laura lives close to the beach and loves spending time in the water. Her parents had wished to be able to take Laura and her baby brother on family trips to the beach. Unfortunately, Laura does not have the muscle tone to support herself and requires full support. The MAD Foundation was able to offer funding to purchase a Firefly Splashy seat, costing around $1000. Laura can now sit and enjoy the water in a safe and supportive way. She is loving the experience of having water rush over her and splashing. It is a joy for her whole family to have these happy moments.
Your incredible support is valued and appreciated by this family and The MAD Foundation.
Thank you so much, this will make such a difference to Laura! She is going to love having the water rush over her feet at the beach. How very incredible! (Gateways referring Support Worker)
Hi MAD foundation,
We want to say a huge thank you for providing our daughter Laura the opportunity to experience the beach with her family this summer. Your grant allowed us to purchase a supported seating system we can use at the beach or pool. It is a memory we will cherish forever and can’t wait for all the fun we can have as a family.
Thank you for making the process smooth, seamless and efficient! (Laura’s Parents)
