LITTLE Jodie Settle can finally sit with her family now the brave three-year-old has a special chair to make her life easier.

Jodie, from Hall i' th' Wood has an undiagnosed condition with symptoms similar to cerebral palsy, as well as severe epilepsy, blindness.

The Greenfold School pupil needs to be positioned at a specific angle to prevent her from choking.

For nearly two years the tot had to sleep in a beanbag with her mum Kate, aged 39, sleeping on the couch next to her to make sure she did not move or suffocate.

But then 12 months ago she was given a special bed.

However Jodie’s parents, Kate and Anthony Birch, struggled to get her a chair to allow her to sit safely and comfortably with her family — until Newlife Foundation donated her a personalised “PPod”.

Jodie’s PPod was provided through the foundation’s Just Can’t Wait service, which provides equipment loans to families of terminally ill and life limited children.

Ms Settle said: “I don’t know what we would have done without it. The charity has given Jodie a quality of life that she wouldn’t have otherwise had.

“She needs to lie at a 40 degree angle and we can’t put anything in her mouth because neurologically she does not know if anything is in there so she will choke and go blue. She is also nil by mouth and has to be fed through her tummy.

“We were finally provided with a special bed, but we still couldn’t get any help with special seating.

“I rang Newlife up in desperation and within weeks they sent Jodie her PPod.”

Despite her problems Jodie is always smiling and giggling with her younger sister Ava-Maria, aged two.

Ms Settle said: “Jodie has a number of medical problems including cerebral palsy-like condition, epilepsy, she is hypertonic so very floppy, and she is registered blind.

“But despite all this she loves to giggle and we do everything we can to make sure that she laughs each day.”

Newlife lead nurse, Karen Dobson, said: “We provide a listening ear for families when they are at their most vulnerable. In Kate’s case, it was providing the continuity of being able to come back to an organisation which is able to support her in several aspects of helping Jodie.

“As well as providing the PPod we have assisted with weather protection for Jodie’s buggy and equipment to aid night-time positioning to help ensure 24-hour postural support. Kate knows we are just one call away — and we will continue to offer our support for Jodie.”