Frank and Lorraine with Adam (left) and brother Frankie.

Adam’s condition — haemophilus influenzae D strain — is so rare he was the first child to be admitted to the Sick Kids in Edinburgh with it, and there have only been two cases in Scotland since 2002, both of them adults.
Alarmingly Adam, who turned four in October, suffered only a few of the symptoms parents are told to look for with meningitis. He had mottled skin instead of the usual rash, and the advice about a stiff neck and sensitivity to light didn’t really apply.

The brain inflammation, which led to him vomiting and experiencing painful headaches, was so serious he was kept in the Sick Kids for five weeks.
But his distraught parents were able to keep a vigil by his side thanks to PJ’s Loft, the accommodation unit for families.
Since then, however, Adam’s condition has improved beyond belief.
For a start, he’s back to his old boisterous self and looking at him today you’d never know he’d been so seriously ill.
His doesn’t yet have full use of his left hand — it was affected by a loss of movement which initially meant he had to learn to walk and crawl again — and his field vision is also slightly impaired so he has a tendency to bump into things occasionally.
But he’s back at nursery and taking swimming and judo lessons.
His recovery has been a marvel and Lorraine and Frank are enormously grateful to everyone who helped at the Sick Kids.
In fact, they’re so appreciative they’ve raised a monumental £25,000 for the Sunday Post’s Sick Children’s Appeal.

The coins started rolling in last June when the family held a charity auction and raffle in the Mayfair Bar in Musselburgh, which raised a whopping £14,000.
Among the items that helped rack up the pounds were a shirt from Scotland striker Kenny Miller, signed by the entire Celtic team, which sold for £700, and a Byzantine icon donated by Scotland’s senior Catholic, Cardinal Keith O’Brien.
But the lot that substantially swelled the coffers was Celtic footballer Scott Brown’s signed boots, which went under the hammer for a staggering £3000.
Most of the donors are friends or contacts of the family, but clients of Frank’s car valeting company have been equally generous.
“One client wrote out a cheque for £1000 for us,” says Frank. “Another bid on a Nintendo Wii games console at the auction which had a reserve price of £200.
“He got it for £320 but gave it straight back to the hospital, so it’s now in one of the physiotherapy treatment rooms.
“Two days after the charity auction, Adam also did the sponsored Teddy Toddle for the Sick Kids at Meadowbank Stadium. The young children have to walk 150 metres. He raised £6193, which was a record sum for one person.
“Adam and his brother Frankie, who is six, led off the 200 toddlers along with Rodd Christensen, the actor who plays Spencer the painter in Balamory.”

Other ways of raising cash have included Frank’s cousin Linda getting married and asking guests not  to give presents. Instead envelopes were passed around at the reception, netting £1600 for the cause.
The Cusacks’ contributions have already helped improve facilities in a number of ways at the Edinburgh hospital.
As well as the Nintendo Wii and dance mats used in physio, they’ve provided the intensive care unit with Snoezelen equipment, a soothing lights system that helps calm patients.
But the money has also been crucial in the day-to-day upkeep of the accommodation facilities, helping pay for simple things like keeping the towels laundered, the kitchen stocked and providing round-the-clock care from the housekeeper.
“Everyone has been fantastic, but it’s really just our way of saying thank you and giving back all the wonderful help and support we got and still get from the hospital,” says Lorraine.
“We are very grateful for everything the family has done,” says Maureen Harrison, director of the Sick Kids Friends Foundation. “They’ve been amazing.”

IF YOU have a special reason for contributing to or raising funds for our appeal then we’d like to hear from you. 
It could be that you’d like to thank caring staff for the treatment they’ve provided in your hour of need. Or perhaps a relative spent time in one of Scotland’s children’s hospitals and the experience has left a lasting impression on your family’s life.
Whatever the reason, please let us know. 
We’d be delighted to share your experiences with our readers. And, who knows, it may inspire others to follow in your fund-raising footsteps.

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