The parents of a two-year-old Leeds boy have spoken of their heartbreak and struggles after he was left brain damaged and unable to speak after contracting Covid-19.
Elijah Kay-Haigh from Horsforth needs 24-hour oxygen support after he was left in a coma in 2021. The tot contracted coronavirus and his temperature reached 40.7C for several days.
A coma saved his life, but now the little boy has been left with damaged lungs, suffers seizures, and is unable to speak. He is fed through a tube, his muscles are too weak for him to sit upright for long periods of time and reflux causes him to vomit, risking him choking and breathing it into his lungs, potentially causing dangerous chest infections.
With multiple medical appointments each week, sometimes every day, Elijah and his mum, Abigail, spend a lot of time in the car. But, after a growth spurt his car seat isn’t safe – and a larger specialist car seat to meet all his needs. However the car seat he needs costs £3,130 - far beyond the family budget.
Now Newlife the Charity for Disabled Children - the largest charity provider of specialist disability equipment in the UK - has stepped in with an urgent appeal to help raise the necessary funds. As well as being safe for his height and weight, the specialist car seat can provide extra support for Elijah’s posture and a harness to keep him in a safe upright position.
The car seat also swivels out so parents Abigail and Chris can easily lift him in and out, while three levels of adjustment mean he can recline or sit upright so he’s in the right position to meet his medical needs. There is also more room for Elijah’s medical equipment, including tube feeds and oxygen, which will make journeys much easier for Elijah – and the whole family including 15-year-old Louise, three-year-old Jacob and three-month-old Nathan.
Elijah's mum, Abigail, said: "Having the right kind of car seat to safely meet Elijah’s needs is vital. As well as regular medical appointments he can become poorly suddenly, so we need to act fast and use the car to take him to hospital where we have open access, without worrying that his car seat isn’t safe enough.
"The car seat Elijah needs also has more room for things like his tube feeds and oxygen cylinders we need to take everywhere. Even if Elijah has a cold, we need to use a suction machine, as he can’t clear mucus himself, and this will be much easier to do in this car seat as it’s wider and the seat can be put into different positions.
She added: "The car seat is also safe to use in the front of our car which means I will be able to see him when I’m driving and know he is safe – which will help my peace of mind. We could also go places as a family again, so the children will no longer have to miss out. Just travelling to the beach for the day as a family is something we would love to do, knowing that the journey would be safe for Elijah."
Kam Dulai, Newlife’s Child and Family Support Manager said: "A recent Family Fund survey revealed nine out of 10 families with disabled children are struggling or falling behind with household bills, with many forced to do without things like food, heating or basic furniture. It highlighted the unsustainable strain families face as they try to cover sky-high costs on top of severely reduced incomes due to intense caring responsibilities and the three times higher cost of looking after a disabled child.
"It’s vital that Elijah has the car seat he needs to keep him safe, supported and boost his quality of life – and anyone who can donate to this appeal will be directly helping Elijah – and his family is incredibly grateful for any support received to help fund his appeal."
To donate please visit https://newlife.support/Elijah.
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