Absolute Healthcare were touched to read about two local families who are fundraising towards vital services for their disabled children - and we're delighted to be donating, and helping to spread the word.

Hazel and Shawn Mycroft from Ropley need to raise £50,000 for their daughter Isabelle, 6 years old, to have surgery to ease her cerebral palsy.

Rebecca Burnett from Medstead needs to raise £12,500 to buy her son Tom, who has duchenne muscular dystrophy, an offroad wheelchair, to allow him more of an active lifestyle.

Cerebral Palsy is the general term for a number of neurological conditions that affect movement and coordination, caused by problems in the brain and nervous system.

Hazel says of Isabelle, "Isabelle is now six years old and an amazing little girl, and never complains. However she cannot walk independently, dress herself or do any of the things little girls love to do."

Neurosurgery in the USA called selective dorsal rhizotomy, could give Isabelle a chance to walk, be relaxing her leg muscles so they can function properly.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a genetic disorder characterised by progressive muscle degeneration and weakness. It is one of nine types of muscular dystrophy, cause by an absence of dystrophin, a protein that helps keep muscle cells intact. The average life expectancy for people with the disorder, is 25 years.

Tom, aged 8 years, comes from a family who love outdoor activities, and his mum Rebecca would like to help him do that for as long as possible. She says, "Given that Tom's life will be a short one, we want him to be able to climb a mountain if he chooses."  Rebecca hopes to buy a TerrainHopper off-road wheelchair which will allow Tom to get back out into the woods and on the beach, to enjoy a more active lifestyle again.

Absolute Healthcare work very closely with families such as these, in the local area, giving much needed respite care to parents and day to day nursing and personal care to children and young people.

We wish all the very best to both of these causes and hope that you'll decide to support them too.