Phoebe T's quilt    (Quilt Completed)

Thank you

I would like to thank everyone involved in making Phoebe T's quilt. It is absolutely beautiful. Pictures do not do it justice. Phoebe is so happy with it. You are all amazingly gifted generous people. Thank you all.

Finished photos

Individual squares

Fabric

Card

Stitched by: Melissa Biggs

Biography

At about 31 weeks pregnant I was not expecting what was soon to happen. I got admitted to hospital with contractions. I was left to it for a few hours then they got a lot worse very quickly so I buzzed for the nurse, then again....then again and after about 40 mins of not getting a reply I saddled to find one. I got told to get back in bed and they would come and monitor me. After another half hour they did and quickly noticed that with every contraction I had Phoebe's heart rate dropped dangerously low. They then rushed me in for an emergency c-section. That all went well and after 3 boys when they told me it was a girl I cried and she was instantly named Phoebe.

She had to stay in hospital for 3 weeks and then I was allowed to take my perfect baby girl home.

As she was premature we had to attend appointments with the consultant at the hospital. The July after she was born (about 9 months old) we attended a routine appointment and got asked the usual questions. Yes she was feeding well. Yes she is breast fed. Yes she smiles. Yes she giggles. No she cannot sit unaided. As I was answering these questions the usual physiotherapist was stretching Phoebe in all sorts of ways. She kept checking and double checking her and when all the questions had finished she handed Phoebe to me, asked me to sit and said that Phoebe had a condition called Cerebral Palsy. The time after those words is a bit of a blur. I kinda switched onto auto-pilot. We got referred to the local physio team and less than a month later we had to go back to the hospital for an mri to confirm brain damage. She was sedated for the mri which was heartbreaking for me but it had to happen so auto-pilot kicked in again.
She had visits from the physio in the months after that. Phoebe was eventually sitting up not quite unaided but still sitting up on her 1st birthday. After that we had regular appointments with the physio and the paediatric orthotics team. She eventually started taking steps in the following May and then had to try special shoes and other equipment to try and help her walk properly as she tip-toes on her right foot.
None of this worked so we got referred to London for other methods of helping her muscle's elasticity. We had various trips up to London and they decided she qualified for botox injections in her leg muscles to try and relax them. But before that Phoebe jumped off our sofa and broke her 'good' leg. That was a bit of a set back but she was healed by July. So in August 2013 we had to go in for Phoebe to get sedated again so they could do the botox injections. They then had to cast her leg to help her foot stay flat. After a week being in that cast they took it off and did another. After the 3rd cast it was time to see what results the botox had. it was fantastic. She could walk with her heel on the floor for the first time in her life but less than a month later she could no longer touch the floor with her heel. Again back to various visits to the hospital. She can not walk far so has to have a wheelchair. And they said the only option left is to operate on her leg. We put it off last year as the sooner they operate the more operations she will need so we are awaiting a consultation this year about it. In the mean time she has been in and out of hospital having had seizures that they are currently investigating as they may be due to epilepsy. So this is just the start of the long medical road. But I would not change her for the world.