The smiles say it all.

The change in two youngsters, born with severe health problems, is of great joy to their parents, families and friends

And all of them can take some credit for the improvements in the lives of Kiera Simons and Dale Collins, who are now both three-years-old.

Their mums Jennie and Diane met in the special care baby unit at Colchester General Hospital soon after their children were born and formed a unique and lasting bond.

Now their children are also almost as inseparable. Dale, who lives with Diane and husband David at Monkwick, Colchester, and his big sister and number one helper Jade, aged nine, has a rare metabolic disorder.

He was born nine weeks early suffering from severe loss of sodium and potassium. He suffered two heart attacks and a decision to stop all treatment was made.

But medics did not take into account Dale's fighting spirit or his innate will to survive. Kiera, five weeks younger than her playmate, was born seven weeks prematurely and has also shown herself to be a survivor.

She is the only child of Jennie and Sean Simons of Brightlingsea and suffers from the rare carbohydrate deficient glyco protein syndrome. She also has visual and hearing impairments.

When she was just a few months old, her parents were also told she might not survive.

It was their mothers' joint vision and determination to do the best they could for the youngsters that led them to the Somerset-based rehabilitation centre run by a charity for brain-injured children called Brainwave.

And since attending the centre and carrying out a programme of exercises every day at home, Dale and Kiera have made marked progress.

Both children now go to the Windsor School at Clacton two days a week, and Dale still goes one afternoon a week to the Stepping Stones playgroup at the Wilson Marriage Centre in Colchester.

Jennie said: "Kiera has improved vastly. She is more tolerant to being handled, her head control has improved, she is beginning to move her hands, is much happier and is smiling."

A rota of volunteers - friends of the family - come in every evening to help with the exercises and Kiera's grandparents do them every other day.

She started school after the October half-term and Jennie says she is settling in well. Diane said before her son went to Brainwave all his limbs were stiff.

"He is so much more supple and relaxed now and we can do more things with him. He is so much more content, his character is showing and he is aware of where he is and different people around him."

Dale also has a rota of volunteers to help with the exercises every day, although his biggest helper is sister Jade.

"We will continue with his exercises for as long as we see the progress made from them," his mother said.

Both mums are grateful to all those who raised money or donated cash to help their much loved offspring attend the rehabilitation centre. They first went in May, and have been a further three times for a day's intensive work.

They will continue to use the centre, but probably not as often now Dale and Kiera are getting additional stimulation at school.

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