One mum tells us what a difference Acorn’s can make for families in need and is encouraging people to sign up for the Santa Run on Saturday 8 December.
Najma Sajid’s daughter Tanisha was born with an extremely rare, life limiting genetic condition, called micro syndrome, which means she needs 24-hour, one to one care.
Najma and her husband Sajid recognised their daughter’s condition instantly – as their son Arbaaz had it and died aged five.
“Children born with micro syndrome are blind, deaf and they can’t do anything for themselves,” said Najma.
“Tanisha is wheelchair bound, she can’t move and she can’t walk so we do everything.
“It’s 24/7 and as she’s getting bigger it’s getting more demanding.”
Tanisha is 11 now and Acorns Children’s Hospice offers them a lifeline as it provides vital respite time for them to spend with their older daughters Laiba, aged 17, and Aroush, 13.
Najma is calling on people to sign up for this year’s Santa Run in aid of the hospice.
The event will take place on Saturday 8 December at Aston University.
Najma said: “Please support Acorns and sign up for the Santa Run. Acorns helps so many families and mine is one of them.
“Every penny counts – all the money raised goes to helping run Acorns and makes a massive difference to people’s lives, including mine.
“Without Acorns we’d be lost.
“We’ve been told Tanisha’s life expectancy will be around 13 but we don’t know.
“We take every day as it comes. We take the view that tomorrow is never promised, but we look forward to tomorrow and enjoy making fantastic memories.”
“Acorns came at exactly the right time for us,” Najma added.
“They helped my daughters flourish and really come out of their shell.
“They gave me the time to spend with just Laiba and Aroush and my husband. Hand on heart if it wasn’t for Acorns, I wouldn’t get that chance.”
To Sign up click on the link: https://www.acorns.org.uk/events-calendar/santa-run-2018/
