Fundraising campaign for Telford baby smashes £7,000 target
A fundraising drive which launched two months ago in aid of a Telford baby with an undiagnosed brain condition has already smashed its £7,000 target.
A crowdfunding campaign was started for six-month-old Leila Edwards so her parents can build a sensory room.
Zara Davis gave birth to Leila in May, after being induced at Telford’s Princess Royal Hospital when she was 38 weeks pregnant.
Shortly after being born Leila was moved into the neonatal unit as she had low blood sugars.
Within three days she had to be taken to the intensive care unit because of jerking movements which needed to be monitored.
An ultrasound revealed she had a bleed on the brain.
An MRI scan confirmed that Leila’s brain had not formed properly.
Since then she has had many tests and scans but her family are still waiting for a diagnosis.
Leila also suffers with auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder, a problem in the transmission of sound from the inner ear to the brain.
Her mother Zara and father Danny Edwards, 23, wanted to raise £7,000 to build a sensory room at their home in Stanwyck, Sutton Hill, to help with Leila’s development.
Miss Davis said she was shocked when she was given a card from her work colleagues at Leila's naming ceremony and it contained a cheque for £5,330.
The 22-year-old, who works as an office administrator for Autoscan in Telford, said: "I started crying straight away.
"I couldn't believe it at all. We never expected to reach our target so fast.
"They had a whip-round from all staff, then the owner topped it up to make it our £7,000 target.
"I want to thank them all."
She said work could now start on building the sensory room next week and it is expected to be finished in January.
She added: "It will help massively for stimulating her brain."
Leila’s family pay regular visits to hospitals around the Midlands to see specialists.
The crowdfunding page will stay online next year in the hope of raising even more money so further improvements can be made to the sensory room in the future.
The fund for Leila currently stands at more than £7,600.
People can visit justgiving.com/crowdfunding/leila-edwards to donate.
