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Fundraiser to send a Handsworth toddler to Austrian ‘Eating School’
07 Dec 2023
Fundraiser to send a Handsworth toddler to Austrian ‘Eating School’
A Handsworth mum is taking on a 25km charity challenge to raise funds to send her three-year-old tube-fed son to ‘Eating School’ in Austria.
Zion Turner-Geohaghon was born 13 weeks premature and suffers from Short Gut Syndrome. He has had 7 surgeries on his bowel and 2 surgeries to put in a central line into allowed for him to receive TPN (Total Parental Nutrition). This is a special type of nutrition which went straight into his veins and not into his stomach.
Mum Shanell Smith, 27, who works as an agency nurse and as cabin crew for TUI said: ‘Zion has done amazingly and has been able to come of TPN; however he is still reliant on his feeding tube which goes into his stomach. This is his only source of nutrition as he does not eat due to having oral aversion due to the overload on his senses from having multiple surgeries and the trauma of having to have a breathing tube down his throat.’
Shanell plans to take Zion to a two-week intensive course at the NoTube EAT campus in Graz, Austria, where he can be helped to learn to eat through ‘play picnics’, individual and group therapy, physio and more. The course costs £9,500.
Shanell is taking on Tree of Hope’s December 25K Challenge, in which individuals are invited to cover 25km in any way of their choosing (walk, run, swim, cycle, wheel, or anything else).
Shanell said: ‘It’s so cold that I imagine I will be doing most of it on a treadmill in the gym! I’ve already raised more than £4,000 from friends, family, colleagues and well-wishers, so I hope this challenge will give us the final push we need to cover the fees and get Zion eating again.’
‘He was in hospital for the first 13 months of his life and has come so far, but he is still underweight and eating normally would really help him progress.’
‘He’s a fantastic little boy who loves to watch Peppa Pig, play with his cars and train set, throwing and catching and playing outside. Like any parent all I want for him is to have the opportunity to be as happy and healthy as possible.’
Zion’s family is being supported by children’s charity Tree of Hope which helps families fundraise for children like Zion with healthcare needs which cannot be provided by the NHS and provides charity status to benefit from gift aid, corporate support while also providing donor reassurance.
Tree of Hope Head of Marketing and Family Support Georgina Lowry said: ‘We’re delighted to hear that Zion’s family are so well supported by friends and their community and wish Shanell all the best with her 25K challenge.’
For more information about Zion or to sponsor Shanell, visit https://www.treeofhope.org.uk/zion-turner-geohaghon/
For more about the Tree of Hope 25K Challenge, visit https://www.treeofhope.org.uk/event/25k-challenge/
For more about NoTube Eating School, visit https://www.notube.com/en/eatingschool
