Esmae Hartley lives with her Mum, Dad and older sister Abigail (10). Both of Esmae’s parents serve in the RAF at RAF Leeming.

In August, just as Esmae’s Dad was deployed on a military-tour overseas, Esmae was diagnosed with autism and severe mental impairments. The deployment has been particularly hard for Esmae as she is non-verbal and doesn’t hear very well.  She doesn’t understand why her Dad is away and struggles to communicate with her family, which can lead to outbursts of frustration and anger. Video calls with her Dad have been distressing rather than comforting and multiple hospital appointments without her Dad by her side have been stressful.

Esmae’s Mum nominated her for the Little Trooper of the Month Award after such a challenging year. Esmae will receive a special medal, voucher and gift certificate just in time to show her Dad, who comes home  this week, in time for Christmas.

Esmae’s Mum, Sgt Sarah Burns, comments: “Esmae and her sister Abigail have both been through so much lately and have been superstars in their own way. Every day has been hard and emotional for Esmae but she is also such a strong and happy little girl in many respects. She may be in her own little special world but she is our little trooper and being acknowledged for this award has been a real boost for the whole family.”

Sarah and family have also received support from the Community Development team at RAF Leeming to help them build a safe space for Esmae at home and secure the funding to buy sensory toys. Esmae also gets one-to-one support at the local RAFAkidz nursery.

Sarah adds: “Everyone has rallied around while my husband has been away and it’s been wonderful to feel so supported by my work and the local community.”

Louise Fetigan, founder of Little Troopers, adds: “Esmae and her family have been through a really tough time this year. Having a parent deployed can be challenging in and of itself, but it’s even harder when you can’t articulate your feelings or really understand why your parent can’t be there in person. We hope Esmae enjoys showing her Daddy her Little Troopers medal and we will also be sending a special something to her sister Abigail for being such a little trooper.”

This month, our Little Trooper of the Month Award has been sponsored by technology group, Thales.