A miracle tot with profound disabilities will be at the heart of a community fundraiser as his family bid to raise £50,000 to support his vital home care needs.
Four-year-old David Goring and his twin sister Grace were born in September 2018 at just 24 weeks old.
David sadly sustained a brain injury at birth leaving him with profound disabilities including quadriplegic cerebral palsy, bilateral hearing loss, cerebral visual impairment, severe dystonia, epilepsy, a complex gut and hip displacement.
The youngster is non-verbal, immobile and relies on bulky equipment to help with postural care and positioning as well as medical equipment to help keep him in the best health possible.
His mum Heather, dad Colin, twin sister Grace and big brother Nathan, eight, communicate with him by using Canaan Barrie on body signing.
David still sleeps in his parents' bedroom as they need to reach him quickly throughout the night when he needs help. He has an unsafe swallow and relies on a suction machine to keep his airways clear and minimise the risk of aspiration. So when he coughs, struggles with reflux or vomits, they need to be quick to act.
As David doesn't have paid carers, his parents are routinely up and down several times during the night to care for him and ensure he is safe.
Colin and Heather, both 39, were initially told that they would need to create a bedroom downstairs for David in their home in Quarter, near Hamilton. But, with such complex needs, it is essential he is upstairs with the rest of his family for his own safety.
Bespoke plans have now been drawn up to design an inclusive and accessible family home to give David the space he needs. The Goring's hope to reconfigure and extend their family home, building a bedroom and en suite bathroom with a height-adjustable bath. Plans include a through-the-floor lift, changing space downstairs and ramp access.
But, with David's parents both juggling work and caring commitments and the Covid pandemic and Brexit significantly impacting the expected costs of the building works, the family are now relying on fundraising to help fund the adaptations.
Plans were drawn up when David was two years old. Now, as he nears his fifth birthday, Colin and Heather are feeling the physical strain from carrying him around the house. And with planning permission expiring this November, the couple are really feeling the pressure to begin the work.
Mum Heather, depute head teacher at Mossneuk Primary School in East Kilbride, told Lanarkshire Live: "David is a miracle. He has faced so many difficulties and challenges in his short life and is an integral part of our family.
"David teaches others so much about love; what it means to love and to be loved. As a family we count our blessings and find joy in precious moments.
"We never thought that we would lay our little boy's vulnerabilities on the line for all the world to see, but here we are. His needs are great and we need help to provide the home that he deserves.
"The total works will cost an eye-watering £135,000. We expect the deficit to be approximately £50,000.
"We're at nearly £22,000 raised already through fundraising events and donations from family and friends which is incredible."
In a show of support Heather's colleagues from Mossneuk Primary have come together to organise a fundraiser to contribute towards the cost of the home adaptations.
A 'Disco for David' will be held at the Torrance Golf Club on Friday, June 23, with an auction, raffle prizes, games and a DJ. Any help towards the costs would be greatly appreciated.
Organiser Gillian Craig said: "We decided to support our colleague and her family as we knew they had been saving themselves for a long time but unfortunately there was a shortfall. Despite David's health conditions, Heather always remains positive and is dedicated to her school community."
The family are also delighted to be receiving support from fundraising charity Sullivan's Heroes who specialise in supporting families with fundraising for necessary house adaptations for disabled children.
Heather added: "We're now all set up with Sullivan's Heroes, a phenomenal charity that creates a supportive platform for families to raise essential funds for vital home adaptations for a disabled child, to continue to care for their child at home, safely and with dignity.
"Please donate if you are able. If you donate via the JustGiving link and are eligible for Gift Aid, please be sure to tick this.
"Sullivan's Heroes will cover the fees so that 100 per cent of your donation goes to David. If you are donating without Gift Aid, please pay directly by bank transfer to David's project. This will ensure that David gets the full 100 per cent of your donation.
"We can offset the JustGiving total to reflect all offline donations. Share this post to encourage others to donate. If each of you shared this post, just think of the vast number of people we could reach to share David's story.
"Many employers and companies are looking for charities to support. David could be the perfect candidate! Many employers also pledge to match fundraising efforts. If your employer or company could help, we'd be so delighted.
"Consider if you can create your own fundraiser for David. Can you create an event to help us raise funds and reach a bigger audience? Perhaps a coffee morning, or a sponsored event using your talents and interests? You can create your own JustGiving page and link it with our team page.
"Please know that we are humbled by your generosity more than you will ever know. So thank you, thank you, thank you!"
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