Friends, family, and Watford FC fans have come together to help a non-verbal eight-year-old access kit that lets her communicate with her eyes.
Charlee Baldwin was born with Moebius syndrome, a rare neurological condition that causes facial paralysis, meaning she cannot speak or smile to communicate with friends and family.
Charlee’s Barbecue and Sponsored Walk was held at Bovingdon Football Club on Saturday (July 13) and attended by around 80 people, providing a massive boost for a fundraiser to buy Charlee an Eyegaze system.
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The eight-year-old is currently able to use the technology, which tracks her eyes to allow her to look at different parts of a screen to select choices she wants to make, for just half an hour every three weeks at school.
So far, the JustGiving page has raised £14,767 towards a £20,000 goal which would allow Charlee to have her own system to use whenever she wants.
The walk and fundraiser were organised by Simon Alderson, a long-time friend of Charlee’s parents Steve and Natalie. He explained how regular access to the device will transform her level of independence allowing her to make decisions most take for granted.
“This will enable her to say I want to go outside, or I want to be inside,” he said. "That’s just a fundamental we don’t even think about.
“So, I can’t even comprehend the difference it will make.”
He added: “It was a brilliant day, friends, family, and a community coming together. I can’t believe we raised the money with everything going on in the world.”
Speaking to the Do Not Scratch Your Eyes Watford FC podcast during the event on Saturday, Steve Baldwin said that meeting the £20,000 goal would enable his daughter “to have choices in her life”.
Charlee’s dad, a lifelong Watford fan from Hemel Hempstead, added that he felt “extremely blessed” by the support.
View the fundraiser here
Steve highlighted donations coming not just from close friends, but also from people he had "not seen in years" and even complete strangers who had heard about Charlee from the fan podcast after it had promoted the cause.
He also thanked Bovingdon Football Club for allowing the event to use their facilities.
The Eyegaze costs around £15,000, with necessary software for it expected to be around £5,000.
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