Mum takes on Bluebell Wood’s Mud Madness in sheffield

Katie Barrowcliffe, husband Mat and five-year-old daughter Ella have been supported by Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice since 2018.

Now Katie will be wading through knee-deep mud and clambering over obstacles alongside hundreds of others when Bluebell Wood’s Mud Madness event returns to Sheffield in April.

Ella was diagnosed with a hole in her heart at Katie’s 20-week pregnancy scan, so the family knew she would have to go through open heart surgery as a new-born.

Katie, a 36-year-old occupational therapist, said: “She seemed okay at first but after a few weeks we noticed she’d started making small jerky movements, and wasn’t meeting milestones.

"We were in and out of Doncaster Royal Infirmary preparing for her heart surgery, and I remember showing a video of Ella to the cardiologist, who referred us to neurology straight away.”

Ella was diagnosed with West syndrome, described by doctors as a ‘storm’ in her brain.

Mat said: “Her brain is constantly firing with activity, so she isn’t able to process anything else. It’s had a massive effect on her development.

“Initially, we were both so worried about her surgery, but in the end it’s the epilepsy that’s affected her most.

“It’s just constant. I remember one time I was looking after Ella on my own, and she just lay there having seizures all day. It really affected me, since it was the first day I’d spent on my own with my daughter.”

Since 2018, the family have been visiting Bluebell Wood for support, respite care, and music therapy.

Katie, of Ranskill, near Retford, said: “People don’t realise the extent of the services Bluebell Wood provide – the support really is fantastic. That’s why I want to give something back so that other families can continue to access this vital support.”

Mud Madness comes to Hesley Wood Scout Camp on April 18 – see bluebellwood.org/Event/mud-madness-2020