Matthew takes on 24-hour challenge for families

Two-year-old Theodore lives in Lancashire with his mum, Sophie, and dad, Matthew. After being supported by Family Fund, Matthew decided to organise his own fundraising to help other families. Here, Matthew and Sophie tell us more about Theodore.

Tell us about Theodore 

“Theodore is a really loving boy, very kind and empathetic. At the moment, he loves colouring in. When we drop him at nursery, he runs straight to the crayons and that’s how he spent most of his day! He also loves nursery rhymes, especially ones with hand actions because he loves to follow them.

“When Theodore was six-month old, our health visitor did highlight that he hadn’t reached some milestones, like attempting to crawl or reaching out for objects. By his 12-month check, we became really worried. By this point, Theodore was stimming and hand flapping. He was also very particular about things, like how his toast was cut in the morning. We started to wonder if he might be autistic.”

How did you feel at this time? 

“After COVID, it was impossible to book Theodore into play groups and we worried it was our fault for not socialising him enough. It’s our first time being parents, and we worried that we didn’t know what we were doing. So we blamed ourselves.

“When we received Theodore’s diagnosis of autism, it was so reassuring. It was like a weight had been lifted off our shoulders. But this also came with lots of appointments. It makes it hard for Sophie to work. Theodore is our priority, and the cost-of-living crisis has pushed us. I’m taking on as many shifts as I can, which is hard because I know Sophie wants me to relax and take a break sometimes. But we need the money. Then, we found out about Family Fund.”

What did you apply to Family Fund for? 

“We applied to Family Fund for a family holiday at Haven. We looked at the website and couldn’t believe how much support is available. The support they give to families like ours is incredible.

“When we heard we received a £500 grant for a holiday, we couldn’t believe it. Though we were worried about how Theodore would be away from home, the grant enabled us to take the leap, and come out of our comfort zones together.”

How was your holiday? 

“We loved our Blackpool break, but most importantly, so did Theodore. He loved the lights and characters. And of course we took his colouring books! It was like seeing him through a fresh pair of eyes, outside of his home environment but still having fun. The caravan was all on one level, so Theodore was free to explore without us worrying about him falling or stairs.

 
“The break came when we really needed it. It gave us something to look forward to after all the uncertainty, all the appointments and the stress.”

Tell us about your 24-hour live-streaming challenge, Matthew! 

“During COVID I used to enjoy live-streaming my gaming, just for fun. I’d seen other people do long 12-hour stints for charity, and Sophie suggested we support Family Fund. I’ve decided to take on a 24-hour fundraising live-stream for Family Fund. We wanted to do this to thank Family Fund and to help other families.”

“Family Fund made the world of difference to us. It’s life-changing. It’s hard emotionally and financially, and a break makes a world of difference to families like ours.”