"To any other parent thinking of applying to the Trust, I have this advice. Just give it a try. If your child needs an item, or funding that will improve their quality of life, see if you meet the FTCT criteria."

When Karolina reached out to us seeking assistance for her son Oskar's (13) needs, we were glad to offer our support.  Here, Karolina shares her story with you to explain the difference these grants make to children and also to encourage other parents working in fashion or textile to apply.

Our application journey

"When Oskar's kidney failed a few years back, I was working for DHL-Spectrum the logistics partner of Debenhams. We were attending hospital appointments three times a week for his 4 hour dialysis treatments, so I had to reduce my working hours to care for him. " 

"Moving from working full time to only 16 hours a week, put us in financial difficulty. I had just got divorced, had a mortgage to pay and was worried about the future."

 "At the same time, Oskar had a kidney transplant and was diagnosed with Autism, mild learning disability, Sensory Processing Disorder, Tourette's syndrome and ADHD."

"I wanted to buy some sensory equipment to support him at home. I also wanted to access some physiotherapy for Oskar as his body balance and anxiety did not allow him to try to ride a bike and he really wanted to do that." 

"We approached the Trust back then and got a grant to help with physio sessions. The physio session has been life changing. Oskar would never ride a bike without the grant for Physio support. We would not go together on a ride and we do now."

"The grant has given us the opportunity to enjoy our sunny days together. Oskar used to lack confidence, but now he shows his trike to all his friends."

Applying again when our situation changed

As Oskar grew older, new challenges were presented to him. Still working on reduced hours, Karolina used her past employment with DHL for Debenhams to apply for a second grant.

"Recently Oskar's tics -a symptom of his Tourettes syndrome- increased really badly and his medications stopped working. His tics were really loud and tense at night and I was advised that a weighted blanket could help him to calm down before bed time." 

"Another strategy that was suggested could help to reduce his tics, is writing stories or writing anything he wants for over an hour before bed time." 

"We needed a weighted blanket and a good quality desk chair. I was searching for charities that could help us with that and decided to approach the Trust again for help."

"Oskar started to sleep better under a weighted blanket. Without a weighted blanket he would still not get a good quality of sleep. His desk chair allows him to spend hours at the desk and write his stories as well as making circle movement."

"To any other parent thinking of applying to the Trust, I have this advice. Just give it a try. If your child needs an item, or funding that will improve their quality of life, see if you meet the FTCT criteria. Every child is worth it and parents/carers who cannot afford to provide what they need, should see how this charity could support them."

---

Interested in applying?
If you think an FTCT grant could help your family, please visit our Get Help section to find out more. You can find out more about our criteria and make an enquiry.