A huge thank you to Zoe and Elysha, who recently completed the Folkestone Coastal 10k, raising more than £1,500 for the Down’s Syndrome Association (DSA). They were inspired to take on the challenge by Elysha’s daughter, Thea-Rose.
We contacted Elysha to find out more…
Written by Thea-Rose’s mum Elysha
Thea-Rose is three years old and will be turning four on the 9th of July. She absolutely loves music, dancing, looking at herself in the mirror, and having a conversation. She is going through a phase of not liking one thing one day, and then the next day, she’s changed her mind. However, she doesn’t like not being the centre of attention.
She absolutely loves doing Makaton, signing to communicate her needs as well as learning lots of new words.
Thea-Rose is an only child but has a good social group which has helped her become very social.
Thea-Rose is sassy, cheeky and very determined. She also has the most infectious smile and laugh unless she knows her picture is being taken.
She likes being hands on with everything. She helps with household chores and there’s no holding her back.
We decided to run for the DSA because what they do is amazing, the help, support, training and much more is incredible. It is so close to my heart and we couldn’t think of a more deserving charity.
The DSA have helped me with activities such as DSEngage colouring pages and YouTube dance videos which Thea-Rose loved. The DSA has also helped me with connecting with people all over going through similar situations and given good advice and support. I felt so alone to begin with, felt like I was the only one going through this, but I have connected with some great people who have helped along the way of this journey.
What kept us going through the 10k run was the achievement, how proud we felt and the donations we have made from very generous people. Not to mention this beautiful girl with Down’s syndrome in the crowd with her mum along Folkstone coastal cheering us on when they saw who we were running for. It was such a heartfelt moment which brought a tear to our eyes, and that’s what kept us going when it got a little hard, so thank you so much, your support was what we needed in the crowd!
You can sponsor Zoe and Elysha here.
Thank you to Zoe and Elysha and to all those who donated
Feeling inspired? Find out how you can fundraise for us here