Home for Sydni
Sydni is a delightful girl who will proudly celebrate 6 years cancer free this upcoming November on her 7th birthday. When Sydni was 2 months old she was diagnosed with a rare and malignant brain tumor. In her first 22 months of life she endured more than 18 surgeries, 9 months of chemotherapy and too many hospitalizations to count. It is truly a miracle she is here today and living a very happy and healthy life. She has, however, not walked away from her early trauma without deficits. Sydni is a non verbal, non ambulatory child who requires 100% feeding tube and adult caregiver dependency. Regardless, she is extremely active and very interested in enthusiastically exploring the world around her. Within the past year she has begun taking steps in a gait trainer and defying all the doctor speculations. Sydni is learning to use a high tech communication device to communicate and she inspires everyone who knows her with her bright smile and cheerful disposition.
Sydni lives with her mother, big sister Tari and little brother Tristin in South Boston, MA in an 800 square foot two bedroom apartment. The apartment, while on the first floor is only accessible by climbing several stairs and has become non conducive to her growing needs, especially as she gets bigger.
Sydni has a wheelchair that provides her with the optimal support and positioning she needs for her to access her environment and communication device. Unfortunately this chair can only be utilized at school because it is too heavy to lift up the stairs and into the house. She uses a different wheelchair at home and for transportation to and from school which endures excessive bumping up and down the stairs multiple times a day. In order for Sydni to have continuity and to utilize the same wheelchair both at school and at home, a handicap accessible entrance into her apartment is required. 
The new entrance will provide assistance to safely and easily transfer Sydni in and out of her home with her wheelchair as she becomes heavier for her caregivers. The accessible entrance will benefit Sydni on rainy, snowy and cold temperature days when her wheelchair has to sit outside. 
Sydni then is carried out of the home in order to be loaded into the chair since exposing her to the elements make her m ore susceptible to illness. While one strong person can lift Sydni today, each day she grows and soon two adults will be required to transfer Sydni.
Currently Sydni gets baths every night to help relax her body and strengthen her muscles. Just three years ago Sydni didn’t move her lower extremities at all and there was speculation that she had possible paralysis. Aqua therapy and daily baths have been instrumental in Sydni’s miraculous recovery where she is now moving her lower extremities with full force. This has allowed her the ability to take steps and actually walk, two activities doctors said would not be possible for her. Her current bathtub is next to impossible for her caregivers to safely lift and transfer her in and out of as it is diagonally shaped away from the caregivers and requires arm strength and often two people with very little space to work. Even entering and exiting the bathroom is extremely challenging. The new accessible bathroom will provide the proper environment for caregivers to help Sydni. Sydni will have a safe environment to enjoy playing in the buoyancy of the water, one of her favorite past times and an instrumental part of her ongoing development, improving her muscle strength, tone, range of motion, flexibility, posture and trunk stability.
Friends and family are working on raising funds for this project. To donate funds select “Home for Sydni” on our donations page.