On the Coast – Families Issue 96 I October/November 2019 | Page 40

Willow’s
story
W
illow is a feisty and
determined little girl with
an I CAN DO IT attitude. She was
born at 11 weeks premature and
was diagnosed with cerebral palsy
at the age of 7 months. She is now
nearly 4 years old, a little sister to
Ava and a big sister to Indy living
with her dedicated parents Kirk
and Tara Thompson on the Central
Coast.
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KIDZ O N T H E C OA ST
Willow has quite the busy schedule,
which consists of weekly therapy
appointments and activities such as
horse-riding and music therapy. Since a
young age her parents have made sure
she has been given every opportunity
to become as strong and independent
as she possibly can be, this meant her
mum has stayed home to dedicate her
days to coming up with fun and playful
therapy ideas at home. These play ideas
have been shared on their instagram
account @willows_cpjourney in hope
to assist other special needs families
on a similar journey. This has taken off
and led to the production of e-books,
resources and blogs which assist further
in helping others with the overwhelming
and consuming world of special needs
therapy. Professionals and therapists in
the field are often getting in contact with
Tara to thank her for sharing her ideas as
they too are finding them useful.
Feeling hopeful with the future
Willows parents were sure they could
keep helping Willow to make gains and