Polegate family raising money to build playroom for daughter with rare bone condition

A family from Polegate is raising money to build a sensory playroom for their seven-week old child who suffers from a brittle bone condition.

By Frankie Elliott

Published 6th Jul 2022, 15:47 BST

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Nicole Croxton and Peter Nappi’s daughter, Natarlia, was diagnosed with Osteogenesis imperfecta, which affects around one in every 20,000 people.

The condition gives Natarlia imperfect bone formation, meaning her bones can break or fracture easily, often from mild trauma or with no apparent cause.

Natarlia’s parents want to build her a sensory playroom to ‘give her the most normal childhood they can’.

Nicole Croxton and Peter Nappi’s daughter, Natarlia, was diagnosed with Osteogenesis imperfecta, which affects around one in every 20,000 people.

Nicole Croxton and Peter Nappi’s daughter, Natarlia, was diagnosed with Osteogenesis imperfecta, which affects around one in every 20,000 people.

Nicole told SussexWorld: “We have a garage which is quite big and we wanted to turn it into a sensory soft play area, so that it is all padded and safe for her to enjoy.

“She is never going to be able to play in a normal playground with other children and she will always have this condition.

"I just want something special for her, she loves all the sensory things and we want to give her the most normal childhood we can while she copes with her condition and to do it as safely as possible.”

Natarli was born with breaks to her ribs, both legs, and her arms and has endured fresh fractures in the seven weeks since.

Natarlia’s parents want to build her a sensory playroom to ‘give her the most normal childhood they can’.

Natarlia’s parents want to build her a sensory playroom to ‘give her the most normal childhood they can’.

Nicole and Peter say looking after her is a constant two-person job, which they are trying to balance on top of running their painting and decorating business, as well as raising their four other children.

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Nicole said: “It’s really frustrating not being able to hold her like a normal baby. We are doing this on top of raising a family, running a business and paying our rent.

"We are doing as much as we can to help, but everything is so expensive we just need some help as we are struggling a little bit.

“Everything has been a two-person job, it takes both of us to change her nappy, so trying to juggle this with our jobs has been too difficult.

“But Natarli is getting stronger everyday and I just want to give her this playroom so much, she deserves it.”

To donate to the family's fundraiser click here