Martha McCarthy

Martha McCarthy

Wednesday 13 May 2015

Martha's First Holy Communion

Martha was delighted to take her First Holy Communion on Sunday 10th May.


Martha at St Francis Church
Friends, family and the St Francis congregation enjoyed a lovely service and Martha renewed her baptismal vows and took her communion for the first time.

The McCarthy family after Martha's first communion
After the service we had a lovely lunch at the Ascot Golf Club kindly arranged by Martha's Granddad who is know to Martha and Orla as "Granddad Golf".

Martha cutting her Communion cake
We are so proud of Martha for taking her First Holy Communion and we all love her very much.

Martha has Review with her Orthopaedic Surgeon

Shortly after she was born, Martha was diagnosed with dysplasia of the hips and she wore a hip splint for many months to help stabilise her hips. Since then she has had regular hip reviews with Mr Dempster (Orthopaedic Surgeon at Frimley Park Hospital).

Martha's recent review showed that while her left hip was still well contained in the socket, her right hip was showing some signs of not being so well contained and this is likely to be the reason why her hips appear uneven and that her legs appear to be different lengths.

Martha ready for her Red Nose day at school

It is possible that Martha may need an operation on her right hip to ensure that the hip socket is well contained and will not dislocate in the future - something particularly important if Martha starts to walk.

Mr Dempster has referred Martha to a specialist team at Oxfords John Radcliffe hospital for a second opinion before any decisions are made as this would be a significant operation to put Martha through.

Martha is currently waiting for an appointment.

Martha Completes Another Successful Footsteps Session

Martha spent three weeks over the Easter period taking part in daily intensive physiotherapy sessions at the Footsteps Centre in Oxford.

Martha's Foodsteps certificate

Martha spent two hours each day working hard in the specialist "Spider" and also a lot of strengthening activities during mat work.

We'd like to thank everyone who has supported Martha to make this possible.

Saturday 21 March 2015

Martha Working Hard to Overcome Her Epilepsy

Martha recently saw her epilepsy consultant and had a seizure during the appointment. This allowed the consultant to observe Martha's seizures at first hand and the consultant was able to make an even more specific diagnosis of Martha's complex seizure type.

Martha is now on a combination of drugs to try and get her epilepsy under control. Unfortunately at the moment this hasn't had the desired affect and Martha is still having multiple seizures per day which is continuing to have a significant impact on her.

Martha takes crushed up tablets and "chronospheres"  that we have to "hide" in her food as Martha refuses to take liquid medication and is very skilled at spitting it our if forced to take it. Martha takes her medication twice daily, which makes her breakfast and dinner routine just that little bit more stressful.

Martha's current Epilepsy Medication
Martha is also now having to deal with the side effects of the new medication (Clobazam) which is making her very drowsy at certain times of day which is impacting her ability to take an active part in school and home life.

We are very much hoping that this settles down soon and that Martha sees the benefits of her medication in a reduced number of seizures.

Sunday 8 March 2015

Martha's Magic Quiz 2015

We hosted the third annual Martha's Magic Quiz at the Cordes Hall in Sunninghill on Saturday 7th March. Over 140 people attended a fun filled evening and we are extremely pleased to say that the money raised on the night will pay for a full three week session of intensive physiotherapy at the Footsteps Centre in Oxford.

A packed House at the Cordes Hall for the 2015 Quiz Night supporting Martha
Thank you so much to Kirsty, Gemma, Sharon, Trish, Tom and Isabelle for working so hard to make the evening such a success. Also, thank you to everyone who gave a raffle prize and everyone who attended the event.

Martha Attends Cheque Presentation During February Half Term

Martha and her family were very lucky to be asked to represent Sebastian's Action Trust at a recent cheque presentation event at Coworth Park. Sebastian's Action Trust were being presented with a cheque by the Sunninghill Street Fayre committee and Martha and family represented the local families who are supported so wonderfully by the charity.

Martha and Orla were surprised and excited to meet Batman who came to make the day extra special.

Martha meeting Batman


Orla getting to shake Batman's hand
Thank you to Sebastian's Action Trust, the Sunninghill Street Fayre and Coworth Park for getting the February half term off to a fantastic start.

Martha's 8th Birthday

Martha celebrated her eighth birthday with friends and family this year with a visit to the annual Quince Players pantomime - this year Snow White. More than twenty of Martha's family attended the matinee performance and Martha had a wonderful time.


Martha getting her favourite Dora balloon for her birthday

Everyone singing Happy Birthday to Martha before heading off to see Snow White


The cast and crew raised money for Martha during rehearsals by donating money rather than buying each other Christmas cards. We'd like to thank the Quince Players for their continued support of Martha and her family - we really appreciate it.

Martha has a Great Xmas

Martha had a busy and fun packed Christmas with her family this year.

Martha getting into the Christmas spirit with her Mummy and sister Orla.
Martha and her family went to see a fantastic performance of Disney on Ice at the O2. Martha had a fantastic seat right next to the ice rink and really enjoyed the performance, especially when they performed one of her favourite Disney songs "It's a Small World".

Martha waiting for the show to start with Daddy and Orla
Martha and family also attended the Hexagon pantomime Cinderella with the Peapods charity. Martha really enjoyed the show and we also had lunch with other families of children with physical disabilities.

Finally, Martha and family went to CenterParcs for the first few days of the New Year to spend some time with her cousins Emily, Jennifer and their Mum and Dad. Martha had a lovely time going swimming and bowling. It was a nice relaxing break before the start of the new term.

Martha and Orla bowling at CenterParcs