Samuel's story

My name is Samuel.  I am 7 year old, love football, cars and my gecko ‘Bob’.  However, on the downside I was born with Cerebral Palsy (my mum says I popped out too early due an infection I contracted in the womb (11 weeks too early).  Whilst I realise that I am very lucky in that I can walk unaided, I do however struggle on a day to day basis with many tasks that other children take for granted because my muscles in my legs are so tight, and without the help of physio and the operation are only going to get tighter as I get bigger.  

All of my life I have had intervention of some sort, physio, Botox injections in my legs (even though my mum tried to nudge the doctor to try and get it in her face!) and then plaster casts on both legs following the Botox.  Recently the Great Ormond Street team advised me that I would be a great candidate foran operation called Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (http://www.gosh.nhs.uk/medical-information/procedures-and-treatments/selective-dorsal-rhizotomy).  This operation will be life changing in that it will relieve my tight muscles, however is not always available on the NHS due to funding cuts.  The physiotherapist also believes that I would make fantastic progress with intense physio before and after the operation. This fund is to help pay for this operation and physio.  Any money raised above what is needed will goto other children in the same position through the very special “Cauldwell Children Charity”.  Over the next six months or so we will be doing a variety of fund raising events which I would really appreciate your support with, by either fund raising or giving.  

My mummy and daddy can’t thank you enough for helping my cause, and my sister hopes that I will be a better runner than her after the operation...not hard :-).  And me,I am still holding out to be a racing car driver when I am older and to be able to play football without falling over twenty thousand times.

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