Variety appeal: How a single bed helped a teenager with cerebral palsy and her struggling family

Having a comfortable bed to sleep on is something so many people can take for granted.

But when you have a neurological condition that means chronic muscle pain, every bit of comfort can make a huge difference in every day life.

That is the case for one Auckland family, whose 16-year-old daughter has cerebral palsy.

Sia, who asked that her surname not be used, is a single mum raising three children while caring for her elderly father.

Her daughter with cerebral palsy had been sleeping on an old mattress on the floor.

She was so uncomfortable that on some days, at school, she would burst into tears from the pain.

"I knew she needed a new bed, but they are so expensive for me. I knew I couldn't afford to get her one she needed."

Sia came across Variety - The Children's Charity - one day and noticed that they ran an annual winter appeal to help children with disabilities or those who came from low socio-economic backgrounds, by providing them with new beds.

Emma Bolwell, of children's charity Variety, (left) and Auckland mum Sia share a laugh while making a new bed the charity gifted for Sia's daughter, who has cerebral palsy. Photo / Dean Purcell

She applied and was granted a new bed for her daughter - complete with bedding and a specialised frame to keep her girl safe.

"Having the bed is so important because her muscles aren't strong. It helps give her good sleep now.

"She feels different now - it helps her body, her muscles and also her mind. It's a big difference we see in her now.

"I'm a bit jealous of her new bed," Sia laughed.

Grateful: Sia, who has a daughter with cerebral palsy, says the new bed has impacted her girl's life hugely. Photo / Dean Purcell

Sia is also caring for her 82-year-old father and has given up her job to care for him, as well as her children, full-time at home.

The Covid-19 pandemic had changed their family dynamics, she said, and she acknowledged other families were also struggling during this time.

"I pray hard for us because our situation is too much sometimes," she said.

"Getting help from these organisations takes away some of the stress."

The Variety Warm Hearts Winter Appeal has been running annually for about four years.

In its first year, donations from generous Kiwis supplied bedding and beds to more than 700 children around New Zealand. The year after that, more than 800 children benefited from the appeal.

The beds include cots and pēpi pods too, as the appeal helps newborn children, right up to those aged 18 years old.

'It's something we take for granted'

National programme manager Emma Bolwell said this year's appeal aimed to help more than 400 children and families around the country.

"The focus on beds and bedding is based on the belief that is it a basic essential that a child should have."

She said they had heard from families where children were sleeping on the floor, which sometimes led to health problems that put them in hospital.

"They start off [sleeping] on the couch and then they get onto the floor and the cushions are damaged.

"In the end, it can impact a child's respiratory system and their physical health by not having a proper bed. It's something we totally take for granted."

The appeal runs until late next month.

For more information about the appeal, visit their website: Variety The Children's Charity