My Daughter Emily has been at David Lewis for ten years, my wife Paula and I have always felt so grateful to everyone at David Lewis for turning all our lives around. When I saw the advert for the SkyDive- I knew it was time to take the plunge and give something back.
Emily has Lennox- Gastaut a Severe form of Epilepsy. She experiences severe, dangerous seizures, which led to her not only putting herself in danger, but also meant that she ended up taking too much time off school and was withdrawn socially, So we were delighted when the opportunity came for her to have full time residential education and now an adult placement in a safe and supported environment at David Lewis.
David says he and Paula knew others who had children with complex needs, who were really struggling to come to terms with their children’s abilities. Epilepsy is so challenging, but it doesn’t define her. David Lewis turned her ‘condition’ into part of her.
However, the seizures were still happening, and after tests, doctors at David Lewis recommended an operation to reduce one of the severe A Tonic types. The operation was successful, and the seizures did reduce in severity, but so did some of her personality, It was as though part of her joy was gone and a cloudy fogginess left her feeling very moody and altered her behaviour.
Although Emily still has other multi seizures, it was the doctors at David Lewis who successfully identified the right medications. They cleared the fog and brought Emily’s brightness back.
As Emily developed, she is now 28, she began to need more stimulus and interaction, so the staff responded by suggesting a move to a different house. This is one of the main benefits for Emily, being at David Lewis; they were able to adapt the support to her needs. Moving to her new home at David Lewis gave her a more active, engaging lifestyle; in addition, some of the staff who worked with Emily at Redwood, came with her! This helped with the continuity of care and support, to which Emily responds so well to.
David Lewis is more than just a place for Emily to Live, study, or sleep; it’s her home and a very happy one. She loves Bingo and singing ABBA songs. Every week, Emily works in the café, shop, and reception for an hour at a time. This has given her confidence, and she often delights in telling us about the new friends she makes. She swims, goes out, gets her hair done, and enjoys lunch at a local café. She’s busier than anyone I know!
David explained that once Emily was settled at David Lewis, they could relax. “We know she is secure and contented at David Lewis… And if Emily does get to the stage where she can lead an independent life, and can be part of a bigger community then that’s great, but we know her future at David Lewis will always be a happy one. “ David successfully completed the skydive for David Lewis last week. He raised £1730… But, you can still support David Lewis by donating to David’s skydive page