When you imagine becoming a parent, you picture first steps, bedtime stories, and scraped knees from playing too hard. What you don’t imagine is hospitals, pain specialists, and watching your child endure pain you can’t fix with a cuddle or Calpol.

Our daughter Hannah was born with a rare vascular condition called a lymphatic venous malformation. Simply put, some of her veins didn’t form properly. This causes slow blood flow, tiny clots, and pain—sometimes constant, often unbearable.

For years, Hannah coped as best she could, wearing a compression glove to manage swelling in her arm. But things changed drastically when she turned seven. The pain became relentless. After several frantic trips to A&E, she was admitted to hospital. We watched helplessly as doctors tried everything: morphine, lidocaine patches, TENS machines—nothing worked.

Eventually, she was prescribed pregabalin, and that began our long road into pain management. Over the years, we’ve tried countless medications—gabapentin, tramadol, amitriptyline. She’s also endured invasive treatments like sclerotherapy and nerve blocks, all in the hope of relief that never quite came.

Parenting a child in chronic pain means becoming an advocate, a researcher, and a source of endless comfort. It’s emotionally exhausting, and the guilt is heavy. But Hannah is stronger than any of us. She keeps smiling, keeps fighting, and still dares to dream.

For a long time, we struggled to find local support in Cambridge—until a family friend told us about Little Miracles. After lockdown, we started attending sessions and I met Michelle at a swimming session in Huntingdon. That meeting changed everything.

Michelle encouraged me to run some sessions, and in early 2024, we talked about starting a new branch. In April, Little Miracles Cambridge launched its first session. Today, we have a growing community with over 350 Facebook members.

The difference Little Miracles has made to our lives is nothing short of life-changing. They’ve given us a community, a safe space, and a reminder that we’re not alone.

And above all, Hannah continues to amaze us. Her strength, her spirit, and her smile in the face of constant challenges inspire everyone around her. She’s our hero—and we are so proud to be her family.