Summer's quilt    (Quilt Completed)

Thank you

I would like to thank everyone at Love Quilts Australia and the stitchers around the world who created this special quilt for Summer. She is so intrigued by all the animals, as I told Moira we play "Name the Animal" over and over. All the squares are so beautifully done it gives me hope one day I may be half as good! The border material is beautiful and I was pleasantly surprised to find such a cute stitched card as well. You are all so talented and your kindness using that talent to give to kids deserves much more than a plain 'Thank You'.

Finished photos

Individual squares

Fabric

Donated by: Purchased

Card

Stitched by: Elaine Ainsworth

Biography

Summer was born to a young Mum struggling with drug addiction. Plans to send her home with Mum changed when it was realized she had something wrong with her muscles. Very floppy at birth she needed support to breathe and tube feeding. After 2 months she could safely bottle feed if held bolt upright and was able to breathe on her own. She was tested for many possible conditions, finally being diagnosed with Congenital Myotonic Dystrophy about six weeks after coming home to me, her foster then adoptive parent. It has taken many hours of OT and PT to teach Summer the things most babies do by instinct because her muscles are so weak. Simply lifting her head was impossible for several months. Once she got the idea that she was learning to move herself she was doing anything the therapists asked within days of being shown! She was on her feet and cruising at 14 months and climbing at almost the same time, she continued to cruise until faced by a roadblock placed in her way by her brother at which time she looked around, sized up the situation and just started walking, right across the room first go then never looking back. Before much longer she was climbing up the slide in the playground the wrong way, just like her brother. With about 25 words at about 22 months, Summer suddenly lost her verbal skills and began displaying classical Autistic traits such as poor eye contact and unusual arm movements. It is a not unusual diagnosis with the CMD. Her CP causes high tone in her hands and feet where most children with CMD would have low tone, resulting in foot drop and shortening in tendons and ligaments. She has required Ankle Foot Orthotics to straighten her feet and stop her walking on the outside edges. She can walk about a square block but then tires, has taught herself to walk up and down stairs without needing rails. She required tubes in her ears for repetitive ear infections which have just stopped plaguing her at age five years. She remains non verbal and avoids signing, but is starting to show interest in using pictures to communicate. She is very affectionate, loves sitting beside or on me anytime I am sitting down. She loves me to sing to her and is starting to participate in action songs such as 'Wheels on the Bus'. She is obsessed with the original Wiggles and attended their last concert together in Canada.