Councillor Steps in to help Alex
Meet Alex. He’s three, full of smiles and lives with mum and dad in Whelley. He loves zooming around on his scooter and playing with all his toys.
But every day Alex needs physiotherapy because of a rare condition affecting his legs. It’s called Spastic Diplegia Cerebral Palsy – and means he needs plastic leg splints to walk around.
Parents Marie and Robert were disappointed that the NHS do not fund the necessary operations to overcome Alex’s problems, but have learned that a procedure is available in America which has had a hundred per cent success rate.
Ward councillor and cabinet customer champion Chris Ready heard about Alex’s plight and has spent time with his parents to suggest fund raising and promotional ideas to help raise the necessary cash to send Alex to Missouri’s St Louis Children’s Hospital.
Cllr Ready says: “Alex is just like any other little boy – lively, full of fun and with a cheeky smile. And he is just one operation away from living a normal life free of spasticity and leg splints. But it comes at a cost.”
Dad Robert says that that they need to raise £40,000. “The operation, plus the cost of travel, accommodation and aftercare physiotherapy is expensive,” he says. “But I know we can raise it. From bag packing at the supermarket to climbing Snowdon and skydiving, people are doing amazing things for Alex.”
Dr Park of the St Louis Hospital performs Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy. It’s a procedure that’s been carried out there for nearly 30 years on over 2000 patients with a hundred per cent success rate. The procedure involves cutting the ‘bad’ nerves going into the patient’s legs which causes the spasticity – and the result is a significant improvement in walking and posture.
Cllr Ready adds: “The generosity of local people has been amazing and I’m proud to have been asked to help. I’m sure that we can work together to help this lad back onto his feet.”
See www.alexjames-hopefund.co.uk for more details
