Littlehampton family launch appeal to help disabled toddler

A determined Littlehampton family have joined forces with a Sussex-based charity in a bid to raise about £70,000 to improve their home for their severely disabled child.
By The Newsroom
Published 24th Jan 2013, 09:45 BST
Updated 8th Jun 2018, 07:10 BST

Abi and Keith Van den Dyck have teamed up with the Crawley-based Matthew Russo Foundation in an effort to transform the family’s home, to improve the quality of life of their disabled son Matty, three.

Matty has an undiagnosed neurological disorder, retinal dystrophy and central hypotonia – a condition which affects muscles throughout his body. On top of this, he also suffers from regular seizures and needs round-the-clock care.

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Abi, 36, of The Saltings, said: “We don’t know what the future holds for Matty, really.

“We live day-by-day and have learnt to cherish every moment.

“But we desperately need to make changes to our home to improve his quality of life.”

The family hope to raise cash to redevelop the downstairs of their home, transforming areas into a sensory environment for Matty, as well as giving him a ground-floor bedroom and wetroom, and improving wheelchair access throughout their home.

All this means they will have to sacrifice their garage.

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Now, with the Matthew Russo Foundation’s help, they hope to drum up cash to begin work in constructing an replacement for their garage,

The family will be hosting a special Caribbean-themed dinner evening, at Littlehampton’s Look and Sea Centre, on Saturday (January 26).

It will start at 7pm and continue until 11pm.

There will be a raffle and the chance to win a luxury dinner on the cruise liner Celebrity Eclipse, when it docks in Southampton.

For tickets, call 07931 242202 or click here.

Related topics:SussexCrawley