It has been an extraordinarily successful year in terms of Sacha’s development. With his crowdfunded therapies we managed to get him from a completely static, largely disengaged state to being able to walk around for himself, and this has radically changed his experience of the world.

Yet there remain significant ways in which that missing chunk of DNA is taking its toll: he still has serious trouble activating his muscles, and thus can’t manage transitions between lying or sitting and standing. Nor can he crawl. He barely uses his hands for anything other than eating, and thus lacks crucial opportunities to learn through play.

But we’ve already seen how dramatic an effect intensive early interventions can have, and there’s still everything to play for—particularly while he’s still small, with a brain still in its most dynamic early phases of formation.

We’re thus now planning another round of intensive therapies, starting soon—in late August. Funds permitting, we will be taking Sacha back to the NAPA Center to work more on his motor development. But this time we also want to take him to the Floortime Center, where we will focus on his social interactions and communication, in the hope of helping him learn to play and develop more complex ways of relating to other people.

We’re thus doing a final crowdfunding push, with the aim of raising £18,000 by 17th August (we’re already almost half the way there).

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Apart from contributing to the crowdfunder itself, you can help by circulating Sacha’s campaign as widely as possible and even organising your own fundraising event. It’s extremely easy to register an event: just click “start fundraising” here. Our friend Laura Palmer will soon be doing a sponsored run for Sacha, and there are further events in the works.