A Family Fun Day organized by a West Coast community association has helped to make the life of a family with a severely disabled child just a little easier.
Some of the funds raised from the event staged by AMOVATE (The Association of Residents and Friends of Vale da Telha) outside Aljezur have been used to buy all of the fittings required for a new wetroom for two year-old toddler Diego Messias Pedrosa who is suffering from cerebral palsy.
Diego lives with his great grandmother in Burgau and she has been having immense problems dealing with Diego’s basic daily needs like bathing and feeding.
The toddler is said to be a happy little boy despite the severity of his cerebral palsy, and the fact that he has to spend a lot of time in hospital.
The family, according to reports, receive no support from the Portuguese government and Diego’s great grandmother, who also works at the Esquina restaurant in Burgau to help support him, faces a constant struggle to obtain the specialist equipment he needs.
Diego’s medication alone costs €80 per month and the equipment he needs is not only to ensure that Diego is safe and comfortable but also to aid his great grandmother with day-to-day activities like bathing and feeding.
So, Amovate stepped in, and with €198.31 of the funds raised at last month’s Family Fun Day, they purchased all of the fittings required to convert his grandmother’s bathroom into a wet room.
Amovate Entertainment Committee’s Steve Scott explained: “We were responding to an appeal launched in June to raise money for Diego and we felt it fitting that our Family Fun Day could help a family in need.
“The firm Raminhos & Raminhos just outside of Lagos from whom we bought the items also generously donated all of the tiles required along with the adhesive and grout.”
Campaigners are now trying to raise the cash for a specialised pushchair tailored to Diego’s needs but which costs in the region of €5,000.
Natasha Seromenho who is spearheading the fundraising efforts, along with Louise Chamberlain who is also deeply involved with fundraising, says: “Diego’s cerebral palsy is severe. He cannot hold his heads up, he cannot stand and until now doctors have been unable to say whether he will be able to walk at any time in the future. He is approaching his third birthday and cannot talk although he makes a few sounds which suggest he is trying, although again only time will tell.”
