Charity's gift helped turn things around for Kerry
A former Shropshire woman who was left struggling to cope after her daughter was diagnosed with a condition that left her with muscle spasms, cramping, seizures and learning difficulties, has told her life's story in a new book.
Kerry Foster said: "I have an interesting story to tell and as a single mother I’ve had to be strong and independent.
“I’ve overcome homelessness and mental health issues, struggled to get the support that my daughter needs and I’ve even paid back my debt of gratitude to Caudwell Children by helping to organise a charity bicycle ride from Stoke to London, a fun day, race night, cake sale and raffle that eventually raised £6,000 for the charity.”
The Staffordshire-based charity provides practical and emotional support to disabled children and their families, and Kerry says that its support helped bring some normality back to her family after daughter Alexis was diagnosed at the age of five with Albright’s hereditary osteodystrophy.
The book, The Phoenix From The Flames, can be bought online through Amazon.
Kerry, from Hanley in Stoke-on-Trent, said: “I had a really difficult childhood. I’m originally from Shrewsbury but when I was eight I moved to Telford, along with my mum and my brother."
She and her brother ended up in foster care, she says.
"Things went from bad to worse and during my teens I ended up homeless. I would sleep in the bus station and on park benches before staying over at friends’ houses and this, along with issues that I had with my mum, contributed to my own anxiety and depression as an adult.”
Kerry moved to Stoke in 2003 and she and her ex-partner had two children together, Alexis and Paris.
With Alexis struggling to cope, Kerry did not know who to turn to until she came across Caudwell Children on the internet, and when it funded a specialist tricycle for Alexis at a cost of almost £1,500 it transformed her life, giving Alexis back her independence and increasing her confidence.
“The tricycle made my daughter happy and that, in turn, had a positive impact on me. I suddenly felt invigorated again."
Kerry added: “It’s not been easy and we still struggle at times, but I hope my book shows people what you can achieve with a lot of determination and a little luck. Thanks to Caudwell Children’s support Alexis, now nine, is in a much better place."
