'She's like a stroke victim when she has an attack' - Abbey Wood mum raising funds for grass-free garden makeover so daughter can play

Abigail Mallon was born with alternating hemiplegia of childhood, known as AHC, a rare neurological disorder which causes attacks ranging from spells of weakness to complete paralysis.

Paired with autism and epilepsy, Abi’s condition makes it hard to take her out to playgrounds, which are noisy and overstimulating and can trigger an attack.

Mum Emma Mallon, 39, told News Shopper: “She can go into an episode and she will seem like a stroke victim.

“She completely loses the use of her arms and legs – and it can last for anything from a few hours to 31 days.

“Grass and plants set her off. Parks are too stressful when there’s too much activity.

“We went to Danson Park the other day but had to leave at 9.30am because it became too busy.

“We want people to know how this affects her as well as raise money to give her a place to play.”

There are only around 600 AHC sufferers in the world, making it difficult for people to understand Abigail’s condition, Mrs Mallon says.

Mum Emma wants Abigail and her brother Hugh to be able to play together without the risk of a sudden attack

She said: “She’s literally one in a million.

“We knew from day one something was wrong but it was three days before her first birthday that we were given the diagnosis.

“She wasn’t meeting the milestones that infants normally do.

“Then she had her first seizure when she was two and a half.

“Her mental age is around three or three and a half. Her comprehension is a lot better than her speech.”

Abigail goes to Willowdene special needs school for one hour three days a week – she can’t cope with more than that.

She also has water sensitivity, which means she can’t spend more than three minutes in the bath.

From around October time every year, the family have to be careful to avoid anywhere with Christmas lights which could trigger her epilepsy.

As she misses out on so many things that are usually taken for granted as a part of childhood, Ms Mallon and her husband Gavin, 39, want to make sure their daughter has a safe space to play in.

MORE TOP STORIES

This will involve taking up all of the grass and replacing it with rubber mulch as well as removing the plants and putting some high up in raised flower beds.

Mr Mallon has already kicked off the fundraising with a sponsored run and has two more in the works.

The couple are trying to secure some raffle prizes to raise some more money in addition to the £8,500 crowdfunding target.

They hope the garden makeover will give Abigail and her five-year-old brother Hugh the tools they need to play safely – without having to worry about Abi suffering an attack.

Mrs Mallon said: “It will impact her life in so many ways.

“She loves being outside, playing on the swings.

“We just want to be able to let her and her brother play together and create childhood memories.”

To donate to Abigail’s big garden makeover, click here.