Page 11 - Federation magazine: April / May 2017

Millie Bea taking ?rst steps
towards independence

Millie Bea Hughes is taking tentative but determined steps towards walking
independently.

Millie, who is three, has spastic diplegia cerebral palsy so has been unable
to walk unaided. Her twin brother, Evan, is unaffected.

Her Mum, Wolverhampton based DC Natalie Hughes, started a fund-
raising campaign to find the £40,000 needed to fund an operation to help her
walk and was overwhelmed by the support she received from her colleagues,
West Midlands Police Federation, the Force Benevolent Fund, family and
friends.

The target has been met but while Millie will probably not have the
operation until later this year or early next she has received a temporary
boost that has got her on her feet.

“Millie had Botox injections in February, four very large injections in each
leg. It wasn’t a very nice ordeal for either of us. However, the benefits
outweigh the pain. It’s only temporary but will give a good idea of how she
will be after the SDR surgery. Her range of movement is a lot better and she
seems to be steadier on her feet,” says Natalie.

“I would like to say an enormous thank you to everyone at West Midlands
Police and the Federation for the overwhelming support and generosity that
we have received for Millie Bea. I don’t have the words to express how
grateful we are. We would never have reached, let alone exceeded, our target
without their help.”

Sadly, for West Midlands Police, Natalie is transferring to Cumbria at the
end of April, a move prompted by her husband’s job.

“It’s such a weird feeling, I have had so many wonderful times and made
some great friends at WMP, I’m really going to miss everyone but we need to

live all together as a family so there really isn’t another option,”says Natalie.

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