Gemma's Story

Gemma was born on 4th December 2005. The day after she was born a doctor came to the ward stood at the end of my bed and said we believe your daughter has Down Syndrome. She will probably never be able to walk, talk or feed herself. Of course Gemma proved them wrong on all accounts. At 3 months old Gemma had to have 2 lots of open heart surgery. We very nearly lost her but she was a fighter and once again proved doctors wrong. At age 11 she had to have more major surgery to remove a vascular ring round her trachea and once again in true Gemma style she was up and walking a week after surgery.

From the day Gemma was born we've been on a roller coaster, we have had to fight for everything for her, and the fight continues now she is transitioning to adult services. Gemma has turned into the most incredible young lady and we are so proud of her. In December 2023 she turned 18 and she had the most amazing birthday party with her family and friends.

We first became involved with The Knights Foundation about 7 years ago. Gemma was invited to their annual Christmas party which she absolutely loved . Since then Gemma has done so many things with The Knights Foundation from going to the zoo, to water skiing, to flying a plane to name but a few. The events they put on for disabled children and their families are just incredible and every year there are more events. So much work goes into organising these events and the staff work tirelessly to make all these events a huge success. We feel extremely lucky and privileged to be part of The Knights Foundation Family and Gemma is looking forward to making more memories with them in the future. Th Knights Foundation really is an incredible charity.