We Stamp For Lara 2016: 15 Tutorials for $15

Do you want some Stampin' Up! inspiration and help a wonderful family?

A group of Stampin' Up! Demonstrator are supporting the beautiful Dunn family and are raising funds for Lara, her story is below and please take the time to read the story of Madonna and Mark's amazing daughter.

Would you like to receive 15 project tutorials, one will be uploaded each day for 15 days all for $15, starting on Monday, 2 May.  

All money raised will be given directly to Lara, Madonna and Mark to purchase a pressure mattress to make there evenings so much easier.

Go to the We Stamp for Lara 2016 Facebook page for further details and to sign up.


Lara was born on the 5th of November 2008. The fourth child of Mark and Madonna. She was different to her siblings. She looked different…she had twisted feet...she didn’t cry like the other babies. She didn’t move like them either. However, after a week in the nicu we were released to go home, with a paediatrician’s words ringing in our heads “She may or may not be normal, depending of if she does or does not reach developmental milestones.” She was given a diagnosis of Cerebral palsy at 5 months during a hospital stint to correct a floppy voicebox. During that stay she was also put on naso-gastric feeding (a tube down the nose and into her tummy). By one she had started having seizures and had a number of other “foibles”. 

Over the last seven and a bit years Lara has had many hospital stays with a number of illnesses. She has been diagnosed as having a “life-limited” condition. We do not know what that means. We do know that she is unable to talk or walk. She cannot communicate via traditional words or even gestures as her ability to control her limbs is very limited. What she does do is convey her love through her eyes. She verbalises some sounds and is very quick to moan and whinge if she wants to be moved or has a full nappy!

Lara has a plethora of drugs each day to keep her seizure activity stable. This is mostly successful but a simple cold can be enough to put us in hospital for a little visit due to her compromised immunity and poor lung function. She needs to be moved into different positions to help her manage her secretions and to prevent pressure areas.

One of the items we are looking at fundraising for over the next few months is a better pressure mattress for Lara’s bed. She has a hospital bed that we are able to manoeuvre into various positions for her (tilt, height etc) but the mattress is very simple and we use an egg shell topper at the moment to assist in the pressure management. We (actually, Mark..mostly) move her from side to side during the night to alleviate the risk of pressure areas. An appropriate mattress can help with those risks.

We are so grateful to all of you for always being willing to put your hands up to help us to Help Lara. She is a delight and a blessing. If you have ever gazed into the depths of her gorgeous blue eyes you would understand she is a special little person in more ways than just her diagnoses.