Katherine Jeffries

I'm taking on Steptember! Will you please show your support?

Hiya! This year I am taking part in Steptember to raise much needed funds for babies born with cerebral palsy (CP). 

Cerebral palsy is something that will forever be close to my heart, having significantly shaped my life from my earliest years. This year, I walk for Alice and Zoey. 

When I was 2 years old, my beautiful sister Alice came into the world, 11 weeks early and weighing just over 900g. Being so early, she was deprived of oxygen to the brain, and subsequently developed CP. 

Alice's first days, weeks and months were incredibly difficult. After approximately 6 weeks in a humidicrib, and a further 6 weeks in hospital, Alice was finally able to come home. 

Alice's life was filled with love, joy and laughter. She was a princess to my parents, a soul mate to me, and generally the most beautiful human to touch the lives of all others. She was intelligent as a whip, and a prankster at heart, always having a good old cackle when someone make a joke, said a swear word, or had an accidental trip.  

But like many with severe CP, Alice's life was also filled with dependence, discomfort, pain and frustration. It was also cut too short. At the age of 23, Alice succumbed to complications from surgery in hospital, leaving us with broken hearts that will never truly heal. 

Years after Alice's passing, my family were blessed by the arrival of beautiful Zoey. Now a headstrong and determined near teenager, my niece's early days were also filled with both uncertainty and with unconditional and never-ending love. My hat goes off to my sister and brother-in-law as they guide Zo to forge her own, brilliant path in life. 

My family's experiences with CP will continue to shape our lives, in both joy and in grief. For those who continue to navigate it, CP remains a long and sometimes arduous journey. And yet, it is a journey that can be positively impacted by the love and generosity of others. 

Please support me this Steptember to raise much needed funds for children and babies with CP so that they may thrive. 

Thank you!.