The Olivia Story Trust
"Our Little Fighter"
CFM
CFM, our local radio station held an appeal to raise money for the realistic prosthetics Olivia needs. This money is soley used to buy these expensive coverings (£12.5k per set of legs) We have Olivia's trust also, which is used to buy the specialist equipment and anything Olivia needs to make her life as normal as possible. An example of this is the KNORK which is a knife and fork combined and the WOW chair, which is a custome made wheelchair which looks fun! :) If anyone requires further information on any aspect of Olivia's Trust then please contact me on Mike@theoliviastorytrust.co.uk and i'll be happy to answer any questions!
A little about us
We are olivia's parents - Mike and Kim, from Carlisle. Olivia contracted meningitis when she was 2, with no other signs or symptoms other than being a little off colour. She very quickly became seriously ill and it is only because Kim slept with her that night (as she always did when Olivia was ill) and the skill of the paramedics and staff at Carlisle and Newcastle that she survived.We spent over a month in hospital with Olivia. Her organs failed and her heart stopped. We thought we had lost her. The doctors battled to save her and stop the spread of the deadly septicaemia which was slowly turning her limbs black. Unfortunately, 3 of her limbs had to be amputated to save her life, probably by coincidence, the hand we were holding was saved.
Olivia is probably not what you would imagine her to be like. She does not currently use a wheelchair and there isn't much she cannot do. She is very determined and independent.
Olivia's illness turned all our lives upside down and we now spend a large part of our life trying to raise money for Olivia's trust and also to raise awareness of meningitis and the awful consequences it can have. We are lucky because our Olivia survived and we have the support of many many people (see the Thanks page)
Our aim is to provide Olivia with the best, most realistic prosthetics available. Currently, the NHS (Carlisle hopital) make the limbs Olivia uses and these get shipped to London to have the expensive coverin
gs (skin) put on to make these look realistic. The prosthetics department in Carlisle is fantastic and we feel that we are very lucky as the service we receive from them is second to none and the NHS usually don't make limbs in such a way that skin can be added privately. Currently, Olivia needs around 4 pairs of legs per year and roughly 2 prosthetic arms, although this can increase as she grows or loses/gains weight or if her prosthetic limbs break. She sometimes tries new limbs or ways of securing them too and even uses a hook sometimes! 
gs (skin) put on to make these look realistic. The prosthetics department in Carlisle is fantastic and we feel that we are very lucky as the service we receive from them is second to none and the NHS usually don't make limbs in such a way that skin can be added privately. Currently, Olivia needs around 4 pairs of legs per year and roughly 2 prosthetic arms, although this can increase as she grows or loses/gains weight or if her prosthetic limbs break. She sometimes tries new limbs or ways of securing them too and even uses a hook sometimes!
The arms she gets are not functional, ie. they have no moving parts but we are trialling a myo-electric limb but this is proving to be quite heavy and difficult for Olivia to control.
The company we use to make the coverings for Olivia's limbs are called THE LONDON PROSTHETICS COMPANY and they are excellent! The person who oversees the covering of Olivia's limbs is Abdo S. Haidar - (with lots of letters after his name!!)
There are advances in prosthetics and nano technology, together with implants all the time and we would hate for Olivia to miss out on these things due to lack of money (eg advances in immunosuppressant drugs now mean that there have been several hand transplants!)
Can You Help?
Check out the website, see what you think and say Hi on the Guestbook!!
If you would like to organise something or do something for us then please give us a shout! Anything is greatly received!
We can help with sponsorship forms and Info. Posters and tickets. Publicity and TV if required
if you have any ideas or just want to say Hi! then please get in touch!
We are more than happy to answer any questions about the trust or meningitis or Olivia (some people don't like to ask, but it is fine!)
If you would like to speak to us or donate some money, or hold an event then please use the contact page here but don't forget to include your contact details if you want us to contact you!!
Alternatively, you can email Mike here or Kim here if you would prefer to speak to us, then please give us a call on 01228 532287 and leave a message.
If you would like to organise something or do something for us then please give us a shout! Anything is greatly received!
We can help with sponsorship forms and Info. Posters and tickets. Publicity and TV if required
if you have any ideas or just want to say Hi! then please get in touch!
We are more than happy to answer any questions about the trust or meningitis or Olivia (some people don't like to ask, but it is fine!)
If you would like to speak to us or donate some money, or hold an event then please use the contact page here but don't forget to include your contact details if you want us to contact you!!
Alternatively, you can email Mike here or Kim here if you would prefer to speak to us, then please give us a call on 01228 532287 and leave a message.