Lions offer help for Charlotte
Financial help is on the way for a ‘‘miracle’’ Cambridge girl needing extra teacher aide hours.
Six-year-old Charlotte McMenamin has 1P36 Deletion Syndrome, which means she is missing the tip of her first chromosome.
She had 20 teacher aide hours a week when she started school, but that has since dropped to 15, prompting her parents to start fundraising to get those hours back.
The Cambridge Lions saw the family’s pledge for help in an article published in the Cambridge Edition on September 7, and have made a generous donation.
Community liaison Faye Gohns said the Lions would cover Charlotte’s extra hours for a year, and arrange for some swimming lessons.
The situation will then be reaccessed in 12 months.
Charlotte loves the water, and that struck a chord with the Lions.
‘‘It’s about safety and enjoyment, and it’s part of her education,’’ said Gohns.
‘‘Every child in New Zealand deserves the right to learn water skills, it’s so important when we’re in a country surrounded by water.’’
Charlotte’s mother Suzy McMenamin said she was grateful to the Cambridge Lions, and to all the people who had donated to the Givealittle page set up for Charlotte, which had raised more than $1000.
‘‘It’s really going to make a difference.
‘‘Knowing we have the support of such a prominent Cambridge organisation is fantastic, to know that someone sees she needs the help,’’ she said.
At 10 weeks old Charlotte died and was resuscitated, had her first open heart surgery at four months old, then another at four years old.
Her parents were told their daughter would not walk, but Charlotte now has walking mastered, though she can’t run and struggles to climb.
She is a bright child and a quick learner, it is the physical things she needs help with.
She’s not toilet trained due to early complications with her bowel.
But above all, she is understanding complex sentence structures.
‘‘That’s why we think it’s good to invest in her education now because she is constantly learning,’’ said Suzy.