Our Pal - Hanna B

Story written 2009

Hanna was born with a condition called VACTERL. All the letters stand for something that is associated with the diagnosis.

We were not aware that Hanna had the condition before she was born so it was a big shock to us.

The midwife gave Hanna her first bottle but she choked and turned blue so the resuscitation team were called. Immediate investigation found that Hannas’ oesophagus coming from her stomach was joined to her trachea and her oesophagus from her throat was a blind end. This is called tracheal oesophagus fistula and oesophageal atresia -TOF/OE – the T and E (American spelling).

At sixteen hours old she had to have a life saving operation to join the oesophagus back up which was thankfully successful (although reflux is severe).

Subsequent investigations found Hanna had a flat trachea, a TOF cough (often compared to a seal or dog barking), extra ribs (V – vertebrae), anal stenosis (A – anal), Ventricular Septal defect (VSD) (C – cardiac), unilateral renal agenesis (only one kidney) (R-renal), malformation of the right thumb (L- limb).

Hanna had surgery at 3 years old to improve the function of her thumb.

Hanna has many hospital visits each month as with all the different organs involved she is looked after by a large team of consultants.

Hanna also suffers from asthma and has many chest infections and lots of missed schooling, and misses her friends a lot.

Update 21st October 2012

Lotty and Hanna really enjoy getting their Post Pals mail, it is the highlight of the week when getting their letters and gifts. There are some very thoughtful and kind people out there who take time out of their very busy schedule to think of my girls and that really warms my heart.

Now Hanna is at senior school, with the long hours (she is there most days from 8am – 5.45pm) and ever increasing amounts of homework, she feels it is the right time to move on from Post Pals. It is very important to Hanna to reply to all mail and she just can’t fit this into her busy life now, as already she has been off school poorly with her condition due to getting really tired. Lotty isn’t too impressed with this decision though!!

So I want to say, although our family will no longer be active Post Pals members, we still have all the Pals and their many friends in our thoughts and prayers.

Update 10th April 2012

Unfortunately Hanna’s health hasn’t been very good recently. She has had a nasty chest infection which also exacerbated her asthma. She ended up having a week off school, which really upset her as she loves school and misses her friends a lot when she is poorly.

Better news from her nephrology appointment. Her one kidney is behaving itself and working hard enough to do the job for 2!! We are very pleased to hear this and this cheered Hanna up.

Luckily Hanna’s chest improved enough to allow her to go to a ballet audition to appear in Swan Lake with the English Youth Ballet. There were 133 girls at the audition and they were only needing 50. We are very proud of Hanna as she got chosen!! She is very excited but it is going to be a lot of hard work with long rehearsals so we are keeping our fingers crossed that her health will be OK.

Thank you very much to everyone who sent Lotty a birthday present. She had a fabulous day and celebrated her day by going to the pub for lunch and having a Tweenie birthday cake!!

Also, thank you for thinking about my girls over Easter. With all the beautiful handmade cards and gifts they received it was more like Christmas than Easter. We have got enough chocolate to open a sweet factory so it’s a good job both my girls love chocolate, although they will have to hide it from Daddy!

I’m sad to say due to the mad increase in the cost of postage stamps Hanna will no longer be able to write to all you lovely Post Pals friends. This certainly doesn’t mean she doesn’t appreciate the letters and gifts – they are all so welcome and really do put a smile on her face. If you have an email address that you don’t mind Hanna knowing, she would love to continue to keep in touch this way.

Update 23rd February 2012

Hanna has had a good half term. She went to stay at her Nan’s for a couple of days which she always enjoys. We went bowling and Hanna was not impressed when Lotty beat her!!

The best news she received though was finding out she has been offered a place at the school she really wanted to go to. All the hard work she put in has paid off. She has always been determined not to let all her health problems stop her doing anything she wants to do in life and she has once again proved this to herself and to others. We are very proud of her.

Hanna is busy with rehearsals for a drama production at school and is very excited to be doing 3 performances at the beginning of March. She is also involved in a dance festival with school.

Hanna’s health continues to be good except for her continuing wrist pain. We have an annual nephrology appointment coming up soon so fingers crossed her one kidney is still working well enough.

Hanna’s Gran is now half way through her chemo. We have been raising funds to reach a target of £500 for Cancer Research, and then I am having my head shaved.

Thank you to everyone who continues to be so kind and generous to both my girls. Hanna especially likes to hear from her regular friends but we have also had lots of post from new people recently so that is great too!!

Update 11th January 2012

I hope you all had a merry and relaxing Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year to you all!!

We had a great family Christmas at Center Parcs, although Hanna didn’t have a brilliant Christmas day as she was in bed all day vomiting. She was so upset as she also had to miss all the activities we had planned for Christmas day and Boxing day. Fortunately, she was feeling well enough by the Tuesday to open all her presents and join in again and got to do the activity she was most looking forward to; a painting pottery session. She chose to do a cheeseburger money box and when it had been fired we collected it. She had the biggest smile on her face and all the days she had been poorly were forgotten. We also held off making our Christmas dinner so we all enjoyed a family meal together on 28th December!

We went to visit Hanna’s Gran for Hanna’s birthday and New Year. Although Hanna’s Gran is still having chemo, she was having a break before 16 weeks of intensive treatment, so she was in fairly good spirits and could join in with all the parties.

I want to thank all the people who took the time in the busiest time of the year to think of my girls and send them a Christmas present. Each and everyone of them was appreciated and put a great big smile on my girls face. I would love to list everyone who sent something but incase I accidently miss someone out, I will just say a big general thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Also, thank you to all of those who sent Hanna a birthday gift. Hanna enjoyed opening them all, even though she had unwelcome help from her little sister Lotty – sisterly love eh?!!

Thanks to the mild winter we have had, Hanna’s chest problems have been less severe and she even made it to her school Christmas Party – the first one since she started school where she hasn’t been off school poorly/in hospital!

Her wrist continues to be troublesome so we are hoping the next visit to the plastic clinic may offer her something else to help her cope with the pain.

Lotty has had a hospital admission with croup/asthma attack and is still struggling with her chest, but as always keeps smiling.

Update 10th September 2011

Firstly, sorry for such a delay in updating Hanna’s page. The summer holidays have been very busy with some very good and some very bad but mostly in between news!!

Health wise, apart from the constant pain/problems Hanna is having with her wrist, the summer hasn’t been too bad for her. We managed to get much better control of her hayfever this year so that helped her asthma stay better too.

Lotty, on the other hand, has really been struggling with her health and along with asthma problems, she has now been diagnosed with a heart murmur and we are waiting for a heart echo.

Hanna took part in another dance competition and came 5th in her solos and won gold and bronze medals in her tap and ballet groups.

The biggest highlight for Hanna though was winning an award for bravest child through the charity Wellchild. It was an amazing experience, with an award ceremony in London. There were lots of famous people there and Hanna even shook hands with Prince Harry in a VIP reception. Here is a link to their website if you want to see some photos of the evening:

http://www.wellchild.org.uk/Events-Awards.asp

Unfortunately we also had news that Hanna’s Gran is very poorly and so thoughts and prayers to her and the family would really be appreciated.

Hanna is enjoying being in Y6 and is now working hard towards getting a scholarship to the school she really wants to go to. She won’t sit the exam until January but is starting to do practice tests to help her feel more confident.

She has also started going to Guides. She was really nervous about going as she would be the youngest there (as opposed to being the sixer (leader) of her Brownie six) but she came back full of enthusiasm!!

Thank you to all of you who have sent post out to Hanna and Lotty over the summer. Hanna says now she is back at school she will find time to write some replies before she starts getting too much homework!! Also, thank you to everyone who has sent gifts to the girls. They are always so appropriate and appreciated and I wish I could bottle the smiles and giggles they get when opening the parcels.

Update 13th July 2011

A ballet exam result at last!! It was worth the wait though, as Hanna got an A. We were really pleased for her and I think she was really happy too, although she never let on!!

Hanna’s wrist seems to be improving slowly. With physio and the support she wears everyday now, Hanna is finding it easier to use and needs much less medication for the pain. She knows that stopping the gym training has really helped but she still really misses it.

Hanna has been kept really busy with lots of activities going on at school. She has done a filming course, had visits to some of the local senior schools, visits to independent senior schools, winning her race at sports day and completing a writer’s course for children on the gifted and talented register at school.

Hanna is looking forward to the summer holidays as she has a dance competition, a holiday with her Gran, and most importantly lots of lie ins!!

Hanna continues to have lots of hospital visit/appointments but all her consultants are pleased with her at the moment.

Thank you to all the kind people that continue to write to Hanna and Lotty. Each letter and gift is met with a big smile and that, in my opinion, is the greatest thing to see.

Update 10th May 2011

Well, after what we thought was a great start to her physio sessions, we came away after Hanna’s last appointment feeling very down hearted.

It seems Hanna was being too brave with the pain and despite intensive physio, Hanna’s physiotherapist is unhappy about the lack of improvement and advised Hanna to stop her gymnastics.

Hanna was very upset about this as she loves her gymnastics and its been a big part of her life since she was 3. Hanna understands that it is important to get her wrist sorted as it’s the hand she writes with and uses for most things, so if left untreated could cause life long problems, but still found it hard to accept the decision we all had to make.

Also, as the Hayfever has kicked in Hanna has been suffering with sneezing and wheezing, so not a good few weeks for her.

In true Hanna style she has tried hard to not let it affect the rest of her life and she smiled through the weekend at a dancing competition in which she did really well. We were all so proud of her.

For all those asking about her ballet exam results – still no news!! It is driving us all mad and we have never had to wait this long for results.

Again, thank you all so much for sending Hanna and Lotty fantastic letters and gifts. Lotty wanted to add a special mention to Libby for the plasticine kit. It kept her entertained for hours!!!

Update 11th April 2011

Hanna has had a better few weeks this month. Although her wrist is still sore, the physio she is having is really helping her manage the pain, and along with a new wrist support, she is now much happier and is even managing to go to all her gymnastic sessions.

Hanna has also just been on her first residential holiday with the school. It was fun and games sorting out all the medical care/food issues etc with the teachers and holiday staff but so worth while as Hanna had a fantastic time. She had the chance to try out quad biking, archery, fencing and abseiling. The only down side to the holiday was that she lost her wrist support – typical Hanna!!!

Hanna has just attended another renal appointment for her yearly MOT. She was very brave whilst having her blood tests, so I was very proud of her.

Her physio appointments continue and her physiotherapist hopes that with intensive treatment the muscles that are weak in Hanna’s wrist will strengthen and hopefully the pain will subside. I am really pleased with Hanna as she has been doing her physio religiously and always with a smile!!

Thank you very much to all the people who remembered Lotty’s 3rd birthday. Cards and gifts continued to arrive for about a week so Lotty thought everyday was her birthday and kept on singing Happy Birthday to herself!! Also, thank you to everyone who continues to write back to Hanna. She loves receiving and replying to as many as she can.

Update 4th March 2011

Hanna has not had a good few weeks. First she was sent home from school feeling unwell and it turned out she has tonsillitis again. She was really poorly for a couple of days with a temp of 39.2 and she never left her bed. Once she had got over the worst of this she then developed another cold and chest infection so she was up most nights coughing for a good 2 weeks. So she has had a lot of time off school and was missing her friends a lot which got her down a little.

I’d just got Hanna well and back at school when Lotty then came down with the cough/cold /high temp and she then developed a chest infection. She went off her food and was such a sorry sight – never smiling or even wanting to play. She lost some weight (which had struggled to put on in the first place!) but is slowly putting it back on again.

Luckily they are both now well and enjoying nursery and school once again. In fact, Hanna came home from school tonight with a big smile on her face as she was awarded ‘STAR OF THE WEEK’ for tackling problems head on with determination and with a smile too!!

Hanna’s renal scan went well and they were happy with the size and function of her one kidney so that was reassuring to hear.

Her wrist/thumb problems haven’t been so straight forward. Her plastic surgeon sent her for an x-ray and thought he saw an abnormal bone growth on her wrist. He was sure that this was the cause of the pain and said that she would probably need a small op to fix the problem. As he isn’t a bone specialist he said her would have a meet with the orthopedic team to discuss it. We came home relieved that although she would need surgery there was going to be an end to the pain.

However, the plastic surgeon rung a couple of days later to say although the bone wasn’t entirely normal it was still in the limits of normal and wouldn’t be causing the pain. So, back to square one!!
Another visit to the plastic surgeon and it has now been decided to refer Hanna to the physiotherapist with a hope that they can help the pain with exercises and possibly fit her with a splint. So, tune in next time… and thank you if you are still reading!!

Not a very positive update I’m afraid but hopefully next time we may have better news to share.

Thanks to everyone who continue to write, email and send gifts to Hanna and Lotty. They have been greatly received as always but even more so over these last few weeks.

Update 3rd January 2011

I hope you all had an enjoyable and peaceful Christmas and a happy and as healthy as possible 2011 to you all.

Unfortunately Hanna’s last week at school turned out to be a repeat of last year. She went down with a nasty cold, high temp and cough, which as usual affected her asthma badly so all the parties, celebrations and the retirement assembly that she had been practising for all last term were missed. Obviously she was feeling quite down and missing her friends badly and even I was having difficulty raising a smile!!

This is where all you wonderful people, who take time out of your busy hectic lives to think of other children, means so much to me and my girls.

Every time a Christmas card arrived or parcel to go under the tree, Hanna’s little face lit up and this made that week before Christmas all the more bearable for her. Lotty was just as excited to get all her post and is now an expert parcel un-wrapper!!!

On Christmas day I was very organised and wrote a list of people who sent Hanna and Lotty gifts and what they received so I could then list it all on here BUT… that was 9 days ago now and can I find that list…!!! I just wanted to let all of you know who sent gifts to them that they were really appreciated.

So many of you sent fantastic gifts to both Hanna and Lotty – they couldn’t believe their eyes when all the Post Pal parcels were piled up for them to open after lunch! Thank you is never enough but I just want say THANKS to all of you who sent gifts. Lots of fun was had with stickers, craft activities and nail varnish and full tummies all round after chocolate and sweets!!

Also, after such a busy time I want to thank all of you who remembered Hanna’s 10th birthday. She was very impressed with the amount of Hello kitty items she now owns!!

Hanna’s hospital visits start on Friday with a kidney and urinary tract scan. I will let you know next update how that goes. She is also having problems with her wrist and hand that she had surgery on, so an appointment to see her plastic surgeon has been brought forward.

Ending on a positive note – Hanna has just found out that she passed her Grade One piano. She was very pleased as she found out that the examiner was a very strict one and even failed a few candidates!!

Update 4th December 2010

Hanna has just been seen by her chest consultant. He was happy with her lung function results and wants her to leave her medication as it is and see how she goes over the winter months.

Hanna took her Grade 1 piano this week. Thank you to those who sent her good luck wishes and cards, it was very kind of you.

Hanna and Lotty were very excited about the arrival of so much snow. They have both been out to play but were soon back inside in the warm!!

Thank you everyone who continues to send the girls great letters/emails and fantastic gifts.

We hope you all have a fantastic Christmas and Happy New year x

Update 8th November 2010

Hanna continues to stay well and is making the most of it by enjoying her dancing and gymnastics. She has also just gained her ‘friends to animals’ and ‘musician’ badges in Brownies. Her piano exam is on the 1st December. She is practicing hard but is a little apprehensive as this is her first music exam, so lots of good luck wishes from all her fantastic post pals would be appreciated!!

Hanna saw her chest consultant last week. He was pleased with her lungs and asthma and she had good lung function test results. As winter approaches though he wants her to leave her medication as it is to see how her chest copes this year before thinking of the possibility of reducing some of her inhalers. This is great news as up until now when any medication changes have occurred it has always been an increase in her inhalers/adding new meds.

Lotty is as cheeky as ever and her GORD, asthma and eczema are behaving!!

Thank you as always to everyone who sends my girls letters, emails and gifts. Anything craft wise is given a real thumbs up at the moment as Lotty has discovered the joy of sticking and colouring and it is great to see both my girls, despite the age gap, enjoying activities together.

Update 18th October 2010

Hanna continues to do well health wise and so is really enjoying being at school with her friends every week.

Hanna took her Grade 2 tap exam a couple of weeks ago and was awarded a distinction.

She is now practicing hard for her Grade 1 piano exam which is in November – still waiting for a date to come through!!

Lotty is also good this month. Her eczema is still up and down but is much improved from the bad episode she had so she is back to our smiley cheeky girl again!!

Thanks so much for all the post that continues to arrive for Hanna and Lotty. It’s still so great to see their excitement when letters and gifts arrive for them. Special mention this month goes to two people – Mandie and Ana-Alicia, as Hanna couldn’t decide between them. Both have sent such fabulous letters, poems and thoughtful gifts to both girls.

Update 14th September 2010

Hanna has enjoyed her summer. As her health is always better during the summer we have tried to do as much as possible together as a family.

We have met up with friends, been to visit family in Durham, Hanna has been on a caravan holiday with her Gran, and she has also competed in a Dance Competition. She did very well and I was very proud of her.

True to form, Hanna had been at school only 2 days before she came down with a cold with a temperature and streaming eyes and nose to boot!! Despite being up most of the night coughing and struggling with her chest she still went to school and finished her first week.

Upping her asthma meds seems to have kept the chest infection away that we were worried she would get and she is now feeling a little better.

On a positive note, she came home from school saying she loves her new teacher and that she is going to work very hard this year to keep up with her friends. Despite having less than 70% attendance last year she has been put in the top group for numeracy, literacy and reading. We are all very proud of her achievements.

Lotty has really been suffering with her eczema these last few weeks and has ended up on steroids which don’t really seem to be helping her. She has been very sore and a little grumpy (who can blame her) so I want to send a big thank you to all of you who send Lotty gifts too as this has really cheered her up these past few weeks.

Again, a big thank you to all of you who send letters and gifts to Hanna and Lotty. It really does make their day to open the post that comes for them. To all of you who continue to reply to Hanna – this really means a lot to her, so keep it up!!

Hanna wants the special mention this month to go to Katherine who has sent her the most fantastic quilt ever. She says it’s the best quilt she has ever had and is very proud to sleep under it every night!!

Update 9th August 2010

With the weather turning back into the typical British summer, Hanna’s asthma and hay fever have become much better, so she is enjoying her school holidays now.

We have just returned from a holiday at Donna’s Dream House in Blackpool. It is the best holiday we have had! The house was brilliant with a toy room that resembled Toys R Us and I’m sure Hanna and Lotty would have been happy to stay in it all holiday! Len Curtis and his team made sure we were well looked after and courtesy of the vouchers we were given as part of the holiday we were able to visit the Sealife centre, Louis Tussauds waxworks and Blackpool Zoo. We wanted to go in the Tower too but just ran out of time!! If you are considering applying to go – do it!! Thank you to Viks for recommending it.

Many thanks, once again, for all the letters and gifts that have been sent. Hanna has received some lovely Eeyore gifts and lots of girly stuff and craft kits that have kept her busy!! A special mention this month to Becki who sent the girls a seesaw – it’s fabulous – so thank you for your generosity.

Update 10th July 2010

Hanna is struggling with the hot weather. The high pollen counts are really affecting her hayfever and asthma. Most days her eyes are red and sore, she is constantly sneezing and wheezing, but in true Hanna form she doesn’t let it stop her!!

Hanna took part in her schools sports day last week and came second in her race – so I was very proud of her!

Hanna has also been a very busy Brownie and has recently gained her first aid, agility, collectors and dancers badges. She is also close to completing her booklovers badge.

We saw her cardiac specialist last week and following several tests/scans, ECG’s and heart monitoring, he has decided that Hanna’s heart episodes are not due to arrhythmias which is good news, but this leaves the situation unresolved. He is unsure of what might be causing it, but is going down the root of blood pressure problems. So we have to make sure Hanna drinks at least 2 litres of water a day and has plenty of salt on her dinners!! This is going to be revised in 6 months time or sooner if the episodes worsen or increase in frequency.

Thanks once again to all the kind people that have taken the time to write to Hanna and send her gifts to keep her smiling!! Hanna wants special thanks this month to go to pal Alice P. Despite all her health problems she took the time to send Hanna a parcel full of wonderful girly things that she loved. Also, Hanna wants to nominate Richard Brisley for the weirdest parcel of the month award – you know who you are and never mind smiling, Hanna was crying with laughter when she saw what it was and why it arrived for her!!!

Update 6th June 2010

Hanna has had a good month. She has had another episode of her heart problems but apart from that she has kept well. The warmer weather does seem to help Hanna’s health and as long as we keep on top of her asthma and hayfever with lots of medication she seems happier too!

She had an appointment with her plastic surgeon who was pleased with her thumb and her fine mobility skills.

During half term Hanna had the opportunity to go to a holiday club again where she thoroughly enjoyed herself trying out archery, arts and crafts, trampolining and go-karting.

We also seem to be getting Lotty’s medical problems under control and so she is now enjoying being able to run around in the garden.

Thank you once again for all the fantastic cards, letters, and emails you have sent Hanna and Lotty. Also a big thanks to all the generous gifts that have been sent to the girls. Again there have been so many that I can’t remember everyone individually but Hanna wanted a mention this month to go to Cheryl who sent Hanna a gorgeous Eeyore t shirt and Lotty a cute cuddly Pooh bear from Disneyland Paris.

Update 30th April 2010

Good news from us this time!! Hanna had an appointment with her surgeon following her barium swallow. The results showed no significant strictures and fair peristalsis, which was good as this means that Hanna will not need any surgery – which she was very happy about. The surgeon thought the cause of Hanna’s eating problems was a severe flare up of her reflux which caused inflammation of her esophagus so it was difficult and uncomfortable for her to swallow food. As it seems to have settled almost back to ‘normal’ for Hanna, it was decided to leave meds as they are as to see what happens.

On another positive note, after having Vikki suggest that we might qualify for a holiday at Donnas Dream House, Hanna’s Nan nominated us. We have just found out we have been offered a holiday in August. Hanna and Lotty are very excited as after Hanna’s dad lost his job in the summer we thought a family holiday this year was out of the question.

Hanna has been overwhelmed with all the gifts she has received recently. She is very selfless though and is concerned that Lotty has not received any!! Lotty has been quite unwell with her asthma and GORD and at the moment takes more medication than Hanna and so she said Lotty deserved some gifts instead. So a request from Hanna: ‘If you were going to send me a gift in the next few weeks could you send Lotty one instead. Thank you.’ I am incredibly proud of my little girl for always thinking of others despite all she goes through.

After the TV feature of Post Pals the amount of post and especially emails Hanna has received has been incredible!! There are just too many to list but it is wonderful that people that don’t know Hanna have taken the time to send her words of encouragement and praise, so a big thank you to you all. You are all fantastic yourselves for taking the time out of your busy lives to make a child smile.

Update 3rd April 2010

Hanna still continues to have issues with her swallowing/eating. She had her barium swallow as planned and now we wait for an appointment to discuss the findings with her surgeon. Why does it always seem to be a waiting game?

Unfortunately Hanna contracted tonsillitis a couple of weeks ago which caused her to be in bed for nearly a week with a high temperature and unable to eat anything at all. She has lost quite a bit of weight and as eating is difficult anyway she is struggling to put the weight back on. She says she will suck all the Easter chocolate she gets so that will help her!!

Despite being poorly, Hanna managed to take part in the Sport Relief Mile and we even saw Dick and Dom. Hanna was very excited as they ran right past us!! We managed to raise £50.00.

Thank you so much to all those who have continued to correspond with Hanna. She loves replying to all who include an address and I have to fight to use the computer now as she is always typing/emailing to someone!!

I can’t remember everyone as there are too many to keep track of but you know who you are and you are all stars for brightening up my daughters’ day. Big thanks to Sarah G who sends so many letter/cards gifts, not only to Hanna, but also to Lotty too.

Update 7th March 2010

Hanna has had a tough month. Eating has been a struggle and her ‘TOF cough’ has reared its ugly head and has really got her down. She has spent lots of time off school and has been really missing her friends.

We had an appointment with her surgeon as we are concerned that her eating problems may be due to a stricture in her oesophagus. Her surgeon requested an urgent referral for a Barium swallow which will help him decide whether she needs surgery for a dilation or whether her eating difficulties are caused by something else. This is scheduled for 23rd March so I will post an update when possible. For the moment it’s just a waiting game.

Hanna enjoyed her gymnastics competition and her floor routine went really well. Her vault wasn’t so good but overall she came 14th, which was very good as she has missed a lot of training sessions due to asthma and chest infections over the winter.

Hanna is looking forward to taking part in the Sports Relief Mile and it is something to focus on to keep her mind off her forth coming tests and possible surgery.

A BIG thank you for all the cards and gifts Hanna has received. They have really cheered her up when she has been fed up and in discomfort and she especially liked the Hello Kitty toy that came all the way from Japan – the official home of Hello Kitty!! Once again, thanks so much to everybody that has sent post to Hanna, it is very much appreciated and has helped her through a tough few weeks. People’s kindness has astounded us.

Update 3rd February 2010

January has been a better month for Hanna. She has been full of cold but with increased medication we have managed to keep chest infections at bay (so far anyway!).

Hanna has had some investigations on her heart-echocardiogram and a 24 hour recording of her heart activity as her heart consultant believes she may be suffering from an arrhythmia.

As Hanna is new to Post Pals she has only just had her postal address put on her page, so we had no post in January, but thanks to Amber, Jessica, Charlee and Coire for the emails she received. They really cheered her up.

Hanna has a gymnastic competition next week but with an on going ankle injury she is not too hopeful that she will do well, so any good luck messages would be welcome to encourage her to stay positive!!

Update 13th January 2010

Hanna has had a difficult December. She caught a virus which left her in bed for a week with very high temperatures and no appetite. This then turned into a chest infection so antibiotic therapy was given. After another 2 weeks she was feeling a little better. This meant she missed lots of schooling and she was especially upset missing the last week of term when all the fun activities, such as the class party, making decorations etc, took place.

Fortunately she was well enough to enjoy Christmas and got lots of nice presents. Five days later was her birthday so cue more presents -we now need an extension for all the toys!! She was very excited to receive the smarties from Post Pals, so thanks for that!