Mitchell is a bright, funny, loveable 10 year old boy – full of personality, grit and determination. All he needs is your help so that his life can be changed forever.
Mitchell was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy just after his first birthday. The condition means the messages from his brain to his legs are short circuiting. He can’t stretch his legs straight, as his leg muscles are permanently tight. The simplest tasks become momentous struggles – climbing stairs, getting into the car, even putting his socks on.
Despite this, Mitchell leads an active life. He’s doing really well at school – and has lots of friends. He can walk independently, even run – but with his knees bent and on tiptoes. It’s a huge effort though, and his muscles soon tire. The Cerebral Palsy also causes problems with his balance making him trip and fall over frequently. It’s very frustrating and upsetting for him and it’s a situation that will only get worse as he gets older. He has physiotherapy four times a day and needs to wear leg splints to give him support and keep his legs stretched. He even has to wear them at night too – but it causes him a great deal of discomfort.
We’ve had lots of help and support – but we were told that there was little that could be done to change Mitchell’s condition. We now know that there is an operation available in America that could give our little boy the life he deserves.
The operation isn’t available on the NHS – but the medical team in Missouri say they’ve had a 100 per cent success rate in the 20 years they’ve been doing it. It’s not without its risks – and it’ll mean a delicate operation on his spine which will identify the nerves that are sending the mixed messages to the muscles in his legs. These will be cut leaving the remaining nerves intact. It’s the only procedure that can provide an end to what Mitchell has had to endure. He’ll also need another operation to lengthen his heel cords as they’re very tight due to his toe walking.
After the operation Mitchell will need intensive physiotherapy to teach him to walk properly. He’ll be able to do all the things we take for granted – walk up the stairs, ride a bike and keep up with his many friends.
The cost to get Mitchell to America for this life changing operation is in the region of £40,000. We just need a little help in the form of donations or sponsors to raise the funds to ….Get Mitchell to America.
Thank You
Facebook – groups – Get Mitchell to America!
Facebook – groups – Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy – St Louis Children’s Hospital
http://www.stlouischildrens.org/content/
