Kellie is 3 years old
 | Background Kellie had a bone-marrow transplant at 12 months old due to a rare condition. In total, she spent approximately 12 months on isolation wards, and this may affect her later attachments. Because of this Kellie is roughly 12 months behind in her development. Kellie is fed through a nasal gastric tube. Prior to a recent illness she was able to take food and drink orally, and she is expected to make progress with this again. |
What is she like?
Kellie is a lively and agile child who enjoys running, climbing, and jumping. She likes playing with building bricks and looking at photos. She also enjoys helping her foster carer to sort the laundry, and can recognise everyone’s clothes!
Kellie shows great affection towards her foster carers and responds cheerfully and enthusiastically to them. They describe her as delightful and very rewarding to care for. She communicates using single words and a range of Makaton signs she has learnt from "Mr Tumble" on children’s TV. She attends nursery school two mornings a week and enjoys being with other children.
Kellie also has a brother who is being adopted separately and there would be hope that they would have some contact with each other.
What sort of family does she need? A white family with two carers and where any other children are over 7, so that Kellie’s care needs can be met. The family will need the flexibility to take Kellie to weekly local hospital appointments and to travel to a bone marrow transplant unit in Newcastle (or London if the placement is South of Birmingham) every six weeks.
Tia is 3 years old
Background
Tia lived with her parents for the first 9 months of her life until her mother abandoned her. She was admitted to hospital for failure to thrive. On being released from hospital after two months she was placed with foster carers where she remains. |  |
What is she like?
Tia is a pleasant and loving child. She has an easy going personality. She is a happy child who likes the company of other children and adults. She likes to play with her toys and is growing in confidence. She likes to watch TV, particularly singing and dancing programmes.
Tia needed an operation to widen her throat when she was two months old as she was born with a restriction to her upper airway. Tia was nasal fed up to September 2007 when she was fitted with a gastrostomy. Tia is behind in her development although she is walking steadily. She is waiting for a developmental assessment. Tia’s mother and father have learning difficulties .
What sort of family does she need? Tia needs a loving and committed family who are able to meet her health needs and accept her developmental uncertainties. They would need to be patient and not have unrealistic expectations of her. She will be a rewarding child to the right family. A two parent family with one partner at home until Tia goes to school is preferable.
Finn is 15months old
 | Background Finn had a health condition and was in hospital from birth until he was 5 months when he moved to live with his current foster carers. For the last month onwards, after a foster placement for Finn had been identified, his foster carer started to spend time with Finn each day in the hospital. Finn had limited contact with his birth family whilst he was in hospital and was cared for by various members of the ward staff so he is at risk of attachment difficulties. |
What is he like?
Finn is a lively baby who is always on the go. He loves playing and looking at pop-up books and enjoys his carers singing to him and laughing and joking with him. Finn also likes going out in the car or in his buggy. His foster carer describes him as ‘a cuddly baby who is always kissing and snuggling’. Finn dislikes anyone shouting and he is wary of new people.
Health and Development
Finn has a serious medical condition which resulted in a successful bone marrow transplant when he was three months old and he may require a further bone marrow transplant in the future. Finn is prone to infections and if he becomes unwell then he requires immediate medical attention. He also requires regular supervision by a specialist bone marrow transplant team.
Finn is a good sleeper and he will have a nap each morning and afternoon. On some days Finn cannot tolerate much food and will bring it back up. However, Finn is progressing with eating baby food and puddings are his favourite.
Finn’s foster carer says that Finn has some days when he cries all the time, needs constant attention and ‘doesn’t know what he wants’, and that he is also like this most days between 4pm and 8pm. She says that the best way to deal with these times is to take Finn out and that they are gradually becoming less frequent.
Finn does appear to have formed a strong attachment to his foster carer and to members of her family. Finn shows some signs of developmental delay.
What sort of family does he need? A two parent adoptive family is required for Finn and the family must have their own transport and be within reach of one of the bone marrow transplant centres in London or Newcastle.
If you are interested in any of these children or children like them, please contact us on the link below.
