Why brave Alyssa needs a wheelchair-friendly car
A GIRL who suffers up to 20 seizures a day after being born with a rare brain condition called lissencephaly, needs community help.
Rouse Hill
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A FAMILY are holding a fundraiser to raise money to make their car wheelchair accessible for their young daughter, Alyssa McCartney, who was born with a rare brain condition called lissencephaly.
The brave nine-year-old, who attends The Ponds School for Specific Purposes, was given just two years to live when she was born with this condition but has been able to beat the odds thanks to her amazing will to live, said her mother Bec McCartney.
The family is holding a fundraiser, A Wheelie Good Drive For Alyssa, at Riverstone Schofields Memorial Club on Wednesday, August 10, from 6.30pm with Hills identity Jim Taggart hosting the event.
“Alyssa is a fighter and tried to make the most of her life,” Mrs McCartney said.
“She is unable to walk or talk and suffers up to 20 seizures a day and is fed through a tube in her tummy.
“We almost lost here last August when she had pneumonia and she has just returned from a three-week stay at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead.”
Alyssa gained prominence three years ago when her family started a campaign to get her to meet US talk show star Ellen DeGeneres during her visit to Australia. However, Alyssa, a massive fan of Ellen, did not get her wish.
”She is currently being lifted into a car seat and then her wheelchair is lifted into the back but the fundraiser is to raise enough go covert the car making it wheelchair accessible ensuring Alyssa is comfortable and travelling safely,” Mrs McCartney said.
The McCartneys used to live in Quakers Hill but moved to Ropes Crossing two years ago after their specially-modified home was completed.
They are aiming to raise around $17,000 from the fundraiser.
Tickets: $50. Details: Bec McCartney 0415 353 478 or Jim Taggart 0418 467 057
To donate visit: http://bit.ly/2aFcoCl
LISSENCEPHALY
■ Means “smooth brain”, meaning the brain is missing the normal folds and creases of a normally formed brain.
■ Results in significant neurological impairment.
■ Other symptoms are seizures, difficulty breathing and swallowing,
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