Here her dad Rob explains how The Children’s Trust helped Violet find her spark again.
Thursday 10 October 2024 started out as a morning like any other for Violet's family. Her Dad, Rob, made Violet breakfast in bed, as he often would. Then they got dressed and headed off to school.
“When we arrived I noticed Violet had peanut butter smeared on her face – like pretty much every other morning she hadn’t washed her face!” remembers Rob. “I rubbed that off and she went, “Daddy, stop it!”, gave me a hug and ran in holding hands with her friends.”
Rob returned home to start work, until just an hour later when he got a call to say Violet had fallen over and was a bit warm. Wondering what had happened, he and Violet’s mum, Annabel, hopped in the car to go and check she was OK.
“We thought we were just collecting her and would bring her back home. But when we arrived they said they had called an ambulance. When I got to the classroom she was lying on the floor in the recovery position.”
Discovering Violet had had a stroke
Violet was rushed to hospital, and in the days that followed Rob and Annabel found out that their pony-mad, Taylor Swift loving daughter had had a stroke.
“It was a feeling of complete and utter devastation and disbelief,” Rob explains. “It’s like you can’t compute it or pull it all together. I’d never heard of a child having a stroke. It is so rare.
“It just didn’t feel real. You kind of think, ‘Maybe she’ll wake up and it’ll all be fine. That this has all been a mistake.’”
Because the clot was on the left side of her brain, Violet’s right side had been affected. She had no movement in her right arm or leg, her face was drooped, and her speech was badly impacted. She could answer questions, but she wasn’t having full conversations, and a major concern was that she wasn’t eating or drinking.
The first stages of recovery
Violet was transferred to Great Ormond Street Hospital where thankfully over the next three weeks she made good progress. “I can’t remember at what point it was, but she started to get feeling back in her right side… Then there was a bit of movement, then she was able to get around in the wheelchair or walking if I was holding her.”
Towards the end of their time at hospital, Rob and Annabel were told about The Children’s Trust’s rehabilitation service. “Everyone said: ‘This place is incredible,’” says Rob. “It was like, ‘This is the place to be if you want your children to have the best chance of recovery.’”
Leaps forward at The Children’s Trust
On Monday 11 November the family arrived at The Children’s Trust. Over the course of the next nine weeks, Violet received intensive specialist rehabilitation. Sessions started at 9.30 in the morning and ran throughout the day, including physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, emotional therapy, school lessons and play.
“From the first moment we were like, ‘This is a really special place’”, says Rob. “We were so grateful and overwhelmed with how lovely people were. The sessions were a revelation. Violet threw herself in – the whole time she was there she was making really clear leaps.”
Violet built fantastic relationships with all her therapists. She made hot chocolate with her occupational therapist, using her right hand as much as possible, perfected a brilliant Australian accent with her speech therapist, and used Lego to explore what her future might look like with her emotional therapist.
“By the time we left, her soul was back. Her spark. It was like talking to Violet again,” says Rob. “When we arrived, she was chatting, but she wasn't ‘there’. There'd be periods of silence and quiet. Noticeable changes from our usually sparkly, bright little girl.
“The physical stuff obviously made loads of improvements. When we arrived she was still in the wheelchair; now she walks everywhere just with a splint. She is able to lift up her right arm and is getting to the stage where she can point.
“But it’s the spark that the Children’s Trust managed to get back for her which was the most striking thing.”
Creating Christmas joy
Violet’s placement stretched over Christmas and the New Year, and Rob and Annabel were deeply moved by how hard the staff worked to try to make it special for families. They organised Christmas crafts and baking, and decorated the grounds, houses and therapy rooms with lanterns and lights.
The children put on a play – written by them – which Violet and another little boy hosted together. “It was very, very funny,” says Rob. “It was all about the elves misbehaving and unwrapping presents. It was one of those moments where I felt Violet coming back. It was really heartwarming. Everyone felt so Christmassy and happy after that.”
Life after The Children’s Trust
Violet left The Children’s Trust on Wednesday 8 January.
She has continued to go from strength to strength now she is home. She is back at school for three hours every day and has learned to write beautifully with her left hand.
Joyfully for Violet, she is able to ride her beloved pony, Midget, again. “This is something I never thought I’d say, but she’s able to canter again!” says Rob. “The first time she did it she was flying afterwards. She was so happy. We were all very emotional.”
“She always had a dream of doing Equestrianism at the Olympics. Post stroke, immediately it was, ‘OK, I’m going to do the Paralympics instead.’ There was no hesitation. Something that really describes Violet is that determination and not being thrown off course.”
A bright future ahead
For Rob, it’s this possibility to dream once more about Violet’s future that he is most grateful for.
“I want to say a big thank you to the Children’s Trust because I feel like they have given Violet her future back.
“We’re so proud of how she’s done. I mean it from the bottom of my heart when I say that she can do whatever she wants. Post Great Ormond Street we were quite functional in what we were hoping she could achieve. Whereas now I feel there is nothing to stop her going as far as she wants.
“We feel like our little girl has a really great future ahead of her. The Children’s Trust does that for families. Whatever the challenge they are facing, they give families and children the ability to look forward, not spend their time looking back and worrying, but looking forward and feeling like there is a future ahead. ”
