An incredible eight-year-old girl helps care for her two older disabled siblings - one of whom is twice her age - and is even teaching her brother a form of sign language.
Schoolgirl Ivy Stedman, the youngest of mum Ellie Hepburn-Coates' six children, lives with two of her siblings, Kate and Harry, at their home in Plymouth.
Kate, 17, has Asbergers and Harry, who recently turned 10, lives with Bartter Syndrome (a rare kidney disorder which affects around one in a million people), Global Development Delay, ADHD, hearing and speech issues.
Ellie, 47, said Ivy was close with her siblings. She shares a room with Kate, and spends a lot of time helping care for her and Jack and assisting them with their chores.
“Ivy will spend time listening to Kate read her stories and also suggesting things that could happen. She encourages Kate, which is hugely important," Ellie said.
“Kate's Aspergers means she becomes very focussed on things she wants to do, and things like tidying and sorting her laundry are quite hard for her."
Harry sometimes struggled with communication, Ellie said, so Ivy had taken to learning Makaton - a language programme that uses a mixture of symbols, signs and speech to enable people to communicate - from YouTube videos to teach him.
She also would help out when Harry was physically unwell, taking his temperature and using a SATS monitor to check his oxygen levels and pulse rate.
“Ivy is very interested in medical issues and how the body works,” Ellie said. “She has said that she wants to be a paediatrician when she's older so that she can help children like Harry.”
Having two siblings with additional needs had been "incredibly tough" for Ivy, Ellie said.
Last year Ivy, who at the time was seven, had wanted to find a support group where she could interact with children in a similar situation.
The family's local support group, Plymouth Young Carers, only catered for children over the age of eight, meaning Ivy was not immediately able to attend the weekly sessions.
It wasn't until she had a Zoom meeting with the Siblings and Young Carers Group hosted by national disability charity Sense, called an Introduction to Parliament, that she learnt about the workings of local council and decided to write a letter to her local MP.
Ivy penned a letter to Plymouth MP Johnny Mercer asking for more support for young carers and has prompted him to look at improving awareness around the assistance available.
“She has also been learning about her rights through school, in association with Unicef," Ellie said. "They learn about how they have the right to good healthcare and to give their opinion.”
Ivy told Mr Johnny Mercer in her letter that she wasn’t getting enough support and said she wished there was a support group she could join, to be around other kids who understood her struggles.
The eight-year-old told the Mirror that it was exciting to have had the MP respond to her letter.
“I remember coming out of school and mummy was outside and she was holding a letter on her hand, and I didn’t know what it was. We opened it up together," Ivy said.
“Johnny Mercer looked into it and he said he noticed that the young carers group only started from age 8, so Ivy would have to wait until her next birthday," Ellie added.
"But then someone in his office got in touch with Barnardos and Ivy got some one-to-one support both at school and at home," Ellie said.
“She was able to talk about what it’s like to be a young carer and until Ivy got to the age of 8, they were able to offer her that much-needed support."
A spokeswoman from Mr Mercer's office said Ivy's letter was "just brilliant".
"The fact that a 7 year old had taken the time and initiative to send him a handwritten note (including a wonderful drawing of her family) really stood out."
The spokeswoman said Mr Mercer worked closely with the local authority, including the Council Cabinet Member for Children & Young People, so was able to move quite quickly.
"His focus going forwards is making sure schools and GPs are aware of what support is out there and know how to access that.
"His shifts in GP surgeries and weekly visits to local schools give him an ideal opportunity to do that."
Since turning eight, Ivy had been attending the local support group where she played football, did crafts and spent time with other young people who dealt with similar family issues.
“It’s that space for Ivy to do something that’s just for her, which doesn’t involve her siblings," Ellie explained. "As much as we love Harry and Kate, a lot of our attention is on them, but this group gives you your own time with other children who face the same challenges."
Ivy said: “The best thing is that we all know we’ve got the same things going on. We get to spend time together which is really nice.”
Late last year Ivy won Sense's Young Sibling of the Year award for her advocating for carers' support and next planned to campaign for the government to tackle the issues facing the NHS.
“When Harry was really ill, he needed an ambulance but they couldn’t find one for him,” Ivy said.
Ellie said she wouldn't be surprised if a career in politics lay ahead for Ivy, though the schoolgirl had a few other goals in mind.
“A footballer is one of them and a doctor is another. I’ve got loads of ideas but I don’t know which one," Ivy said.
