February 2025 Newsletter - Flipbook - Page 5
especially as a single parent. Balancing the needs of
Archer and looking after Ezra is no easy feat. “It’s a
constant state of mental overwhelm,” Charlotte admits.
“When he’s awake, his needs take priority and his
condition limits what we can do together as a family.”
Ezra, though only three, is 昀椀ercely protective of his
older brother, and Archer’s face lights up whenever his
little sibling is around. On the other hand, Charlotte
shares that watching Ezra progress while Archer
struggles with milestones is bittersweet. “It’s amazing to
see Ezra grow and develop, but it’s also hard because
these are things Archer hasn’t been able to do. Archer
gets frustrated because he loves his brother and wants
to keep up.” Charlotte explained.
Archer and Ezra
Charlotte’s dream is to see Archer up and walking
saying “This would give him a much better quality of
life, although it would also bring its own challenges.
Being able to move independently would be amazing
as it would allow him to actually play like other children
and he won’t be limited by whether there is someone
free to move him .” She went on to say “It would give
him a little more independence and give him that
freedom to live better. And it will de昀椀nitely help my
joints as he’s getting quite big and heavy now!”
Charlotte came across Tree of Hope through Emma
Goodson, Mum to #BeMoreWilliam, another Tree of
Hope parent and proli昀椀c marathon runner, through an
Angelman Syndrome Facebook forum. Knowing that
Charlotte was thinking of fundraising for a trike, Emma
recommended she approach Tree of Hope for help.
Charlotte said “She said it was a really supportive
network and she was right. The team’s support has
been incredible and I would 100% recommend them.”
A campaign in 2023 to raise £1,800 for an adapted
trike reached its target in a weekend and Charlotte
has now set up a new fundraiser to raise £5000 for a
year’s worth of weekly physiotherapy to help him on his
journey of learning to walk. Despite not being a runner,
Charlotte has secured herself a place in the London
Marathon 2025!
Charlotte told us “Archer battles every single day to
take a few steps or to shuf昀氀e across the room. I’m not
a runner and the training will be horrendous, but it is
a drop in the water compared to the challenges that
Archer faces every day.” She went on to say “I am
running so that he can one day run too. I am lucky to
have a fantastic group of people around me who are
keeping me motivated with the training.”
To those who have already donated or shared Archer’s
story, Charlotte is deeply grateful saying “Unless you
have lived this experience, I don’t think anyone truly
understands how much their support means. It means
so much more than they could possibly realise.”
Charlotte recently attended a conference in Florida
around the trials that are taking place for Angelman
Syndrome and found it a hugely inspiring event. She
explained “There are so many positive things happening
and some of the trials are showing some really good
advancements and the kids are really developing.
Although it’s a very lengthy process it gives us a little
bit of hope that there will be something in the future
that can help them.”
The whole Tree of Hope team is cheering Charlotte on
as she trains for the marathon, and we look forward to
continuing to support Archer throughout 2025.
www.treeofhope.org.uk/our-angel-archer-im-running-so-that-he-will-too
5
