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Local charity Caring Coins have announced that their next raffle and clothing appeal will be used to support local boy Dannan Morgan who contracted Septicaemia Meningitis at five weeks old with lasting health issues since. They are hoping to fundraise to purchase the boy a new car seat as he has grown out of his current one.
Kerrie Havern from Caring Coins explains "Dannan is a very happy, excitable lovely 6 year old boy. He was named for the tribe of warriors and kings from ancient Irish mythology. He was well named.
"Dannan was an ordinary baby but at 5 weeks old, Dannan developed Septicaemia Meningitis, which he survived.He did, however, suffer significant brain injuries as a result of the septicaemia meningitis which resulted in him having cerebral palsy, severe learning disabilities and dystonia (involuntary muscle movement)."
Kerrie adds "Dannan cannot talk, walk, feed himself or do any personal tasks an ordinary 6 year old can do. He needs specialist equipment as in a wheelchair buggy; seating chair; standing frame; toilet seat."
All this equipment is provided by Southern Trust for use in his own home. What is not provided is a car seat.
Kerrie continues "Dannan has outgrown his five point harnessed car seat and is in need of the next stage car seat. He cannot use a booster seat like ordinary children as it only uses a three point seat belt/harness and Dannan can only be safely secured with a five point harness due to involuntary muscle movement and cerebral palsy. He cannot reposition himself should he fall forward or sideways in his car seat.
"Car seats for his age and weight, with 5 point harness, are a very specialist piece of equipment and only one company supplies them in Northern Ireland. The In Car safety Centre in Belfast sells the car seats and the one that suits Dannan’s needs and presentation is called The Voyager and costs £900." she said
Without this car seat, Dannan would be unable to go anywhere in a car and would only be able to travel in his wheelchair/buggy, which is a cumbersome piece of equipment, not easily manoeuvred. Getting this wheelchair/buggy onto a bus is all but impossible, due to the size and weight of it. Wheelchairs taxis are few and far between. This would make not just social journeys impossible, it would also prevent him for attending numerous hospital appointments as well. Without a car seat, Dannan would even have difficulty going to his local park, even if he could access any play equipment without being lifted/carried.
Concluding Kerrie said "Life is challenging when a child has a disability, particularly when the child is as severely disabled as Dannan is. High costs go alongside this…for example; additional nappies (Trust only provides 4 per day). Additional equipment for his grandparents homes so as parents can get a break and specialist equipment is not transferrable between houses.
"In order for Dannan to have the same or similar life experiences/opportunities as other children, the purchase of the car seat is essential and the family are asking caring Coins to help them with the purchase of this specialised car seat."
You can donate through Paypal by using email caringcoins@gmail.com You can choose the friends and family option to avoid charges. If you would like to donate to this appeal through Caring Coins PayPal please mention Dannan.
