Mum’s appeal to help get her disabled daughter to Disney World

Mum’s appeal to help get her disabled daughter to Disney World

11 April 2018

A BALLYGOWAN mum has appealed for help as she plans a dream holiday for her seriously ill daughter.

Natalie Hampton (38) has asked the local community to support a charity that is offering to take her 11 year-old daughter Natasha on her first foreign holiday.

Natasha is severely disabled because of a rare chromosome disorder and Pitt-Hopkins syndrome that means she is immobile and unable to talk.

Regularly hospitalised with life-threatening illnesses and infections, she requires 24-hour care.

She was the first child in Northern Ireland to undergo an operation to repair her oesophagus in 2013. With no way to feed her without the operation, which only carried carried a one in five chance of survival, her mum said she had to decide whether or not to risk her life through surgery or to accept she would start palliative care.

Natalie said her daughter, who spent most of the first five years of her life in hospital, recovered well from the surgery, but continues to require in-patient treatment and was admitted several times this winter due to ‘flu and respiratory difficulties.

She said Natasha had been unable to attend school since February when she was admitted to intensive care after falling unconscious for 20 minutes.

“That was the closest we have come to losing her,” she said. “It has frightened me and made me not want to let her out of sight even though she needs to get back to school. That is why a holiday medical support would be a dream.”

Admitting that she is too nervous to take Natasha abroad alone, Natalie says she is delighted that the charity, Caudwell Children, which provides practical and emotional support to disabled children and their families, has offered to take them to Florida in December, with a team of medical staff on hand to offer care and support.

She said the Disney World holiday would benefit Natasha, who loves music and lights, and would give her and her seven year-old son, Reuben, the opportunity to make precious memories with her.

“Natasha would have an awareness of Disney characters and music, she would have more understanding than people sometimes think,” she said.

“To get away and enjoy time with the two kids, to be able to focus on them would be so good. For Reuben to have those memories of his sister for the future would be amazing as I have never managed to have the two of them on holiday together.

“To have the security of the charity behind me means it is possible.”

Natasha said the trip, which will be provided by Destination Dreams, will cost  £12,000 per family.

“The families are really well looked after as the charity provides a dedicated team, of paediatric doctors and nurses who are available 24/7. They also take over 40 volunteers to assist families around the theme parks,” she said.

“With the current economic climate, there is always the risk that they won’t be able to raise enough money therefore the 25 families invited on the trip have decided to appeal to local communities to ensure we get on that plan in December.”

Local people can support Natasha through her just giving page www.justgiving.com/holiday4natasha.