Julia is 6 years old. She has a rare genetic disease called Rett Syndrome which affects the development of her brain. There is no known cure, so treatment focuses on managing the symptoms. A term you hear is ‘Silent Angels’ due to the illness shutting them off and losing the ability to speak, walk and control bodily functions. Today it is known that those affected have often completely healthy minds, sealed in a failing body, really wanting to communicate.

Julia’s parents want to do all they can to slow the progress of her disease. Through fundraising efforts, Julia has been able to attend regular therapy to improve her balance, walking and hand use. However, starting in May 2020, Julia will be having five sessions of stem cell transplantation (one session every two months) in a specialised clinic in Poland. This treatment hopes to help rebuild damaged parts of her brain, and although she will never fully recover, her parents hope she will regain some abilities.

The Dorset Children’s Foundation would like help Julia’s family to raise funds to support the therapy that she will need once she returns home from Poland. For the treatment to have the best chance of working, Julia will need intensive therapy in the UK over a period of 10-12 months costing around £10,000 in total. This includes Physiotherapy, Speech and Language Therapy, Hydrotherapy, Sensory Therapy, Pony Therapy, and Music Therapy. This is likely to have a big impact on Julia’s future outcomes and her family are solely reliant on donations to support this.

Please give generously to help this amazing little girl.