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Belfast Live
National
Damien Edgar

Antrim mum hoping to give daughter best shot at mobility

An Antrim mum says she has been blown away by the generosity of those who have contributed to help her daughter with her mobility issues.

Helen Breet's daughter has cerebral palsy in her four limbs, among other conditions which make it difficult for her to move around.

Violet was born on November 21 2020, having meant to be due on January 25, 2021 and Helen said she arrived rapidly.

Read more: Antrim man opens up on moment he texted friends about mental health struggles

"I rang fetal assessment, went there and they thought it was fine, but within half an hour we were through and in the labour ward for an emergency C-section, said Helen.

"The average C-section, from when they put the blade on your stomach to the baby is out, is about 20 minutes and Violet was out in three.

"When they opened me, I had two and a half litres of blood in my abdomen from a rupture, so she had been starved of oxygen to a degree."

From there, it was discovered that Violet would have mobility issues due to white matter being missing, but it was not immediately clear to what extent.

That became more clear as time went on, with Violet now two-years-old.

"She has cerebral palsy in all four limbs and it would be her core that would be her weakest," Helen added.

"She still can't sit up unaided, she can't roll over, she can stand with a bit of support, she is also epileptic and she has cerebral vision impairment.

"Basically her vision, the best way I can describe it, is like trying to watch a TV through a kaleidoscope."

For Helen, it was heart-breaking to hear that her daughter would need to use a wheelchair for the rest of her life and that she would likely be non-verbal too.

"That wasn't a good day, that was a hard day, I really struggled with that," she admitted.

"More because it was me that was carrying her and I know it isn't, but I feel that it's my fault she is the way she is."

Despite all this, Helen says Violet continues to bring her and her husband Connor so much joy.

"She's the happiest child I think I've ever met, she just laughs all the time," she said.

"She is the funniest wee thing, her wee personality is starting to show.

"She finds burps and farts hilarious. loves music, loves singing and loves her sun too."

They hope to get Violet targeted treatment in Wales which could help with her core and training in Lanzarote which would help ease the pressure on her muscles.

With that goal in mind, they have set up a GoFundMe to raise the money need to give Violet her best chance.

"The one in Wales, she'll get a custom made stander and it'll target her core and we go back every eight weeks then," she revealed.

"They take away some of the support nearly each time so that she's having to work that wee bit harder each time then to try and get her core built up so that her sitting and ability to not be strapped into a chair all the time improves.

"It's just about trying to give her the best abilities that she can so that she's hopefully not going to be dependent on us her whole life."

In Lanzarote, Violet could get access to much more exercise and physio than she currently gets through treatment at Swim Lab.

"It would be targeted training but in water - she would have two swim physio sessions a day and then a normal session as well," said Helen.

"Violet is a real water baby, loves swimming, loves the bath and it takes a bit of pressure off the muscles.

"It is just really about trying to give her as much as we can to be the best that she can."

The loving mum and dad set up a Facebook page for Violet, as well as an Instagram account, as they were inundated each day with messages asking how she was getting on.

"We have unbelievable people out there that are just dying about Violet," said Helen.

"I never thought we would get the response on the GoFundMe that we did in such a short space of time.

"So many people want to see her thrive and reach her full potential and it's almost like a part of their wee story too.

"It's greatly appreciated and it's nice to see that there's so many good people still in this world."

For those wanting to contribute to fundraising efforts, the page can be found here:

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