Olivia's Story
“I knew something was badly wrong.”
Olivia was only four when everything changed. She had been diagnosed with cerebral palsy around her first birthday, and she was thriving – walking, running and even joining in at school sports day. Then one morning, out of the blue, she woke up being sick and with a sore head.
Mum Rebecca says, “I sat her on the couch, but she kept toppling over to the left. Her arm was floppy. I asked her, ‘Can you grab mummy’s hand?’ She couldn’t. Then her face began to droop. I knew something was badly wrong and rushed her to hospital.
“By the time we got there, the signs were getting worse. Her face was blank, there was nothing in her eyes. I was panicking. When she snapped out of it, her face had drooped completely, her speech was slurred. A CT scan confirmed it: Olivia had suffered a stroke.
“The hospital staff were incredible. They moved so quickly, starting her on intensive therapy. For the next six weeks, we lived on Borthwick ward. After endless tests, doctors told us they thought her stroke had been caused by the chickenpox virus. It’s so scary that something so ordinary, something every child seems to get, had caused this.
“I didn’t think children could have strokes. You think of it as something that happens to older people, not a four-year-old. All I could think was, why Olivia? She had been through so much already. But I kept reminding myself she had learned to walk once, she could do it again. If any child had the strength to get through this, it was her.
“For the first three weeks, I didn’t leave her bedside We live in West Lothian, so my husband had to keep working, driving back and forth every day. It was so hard not being able to nip home, even for half an hour. It was a 45-minute drive and I couldn’t face being away from Olivia for that long.
Olivia loved The Hub. It became part of her daily routine and brought her joy when everything else felt so frightening.
Rebecca, Olivia's mum
“In hospital, you don’t have time to process. You’re just in survival mode. One thing that really helped was visiting Susie, ECHC’s Complementary Therapist, and having a massage. I wasn’t looking after myself at all, so it was so nice just to get away for that hour and relax.
“This sort of thing goes such a long way. When you as the parent feel looked after, you’re more capable, mentally, of being there to support your child.
“Olivia loved The Hub. It became part of her daily routine and brought her joy when everything else felt so frightening. Having The Hub open at weekends would make such a difference. Olivia didn’t have rehab then so those were the longest days. She would always ask about it.
“Coming home has been another big adjustment. Olivia is more aware now that her body does not work the way it used to, and that is hard for her. It feels like every day brings a new challenge.
“But through it all, I am so grateful. The hospital staff, the charities, everyone who supported us made such a difference. I cannot imagine what our journey would have been like without them.”
