Tuesday 14 December 2010

Meet Alex

Since Joseph has been born, I have become very active on Twitter and Facebook, and often am caught by stories of other children who have obstacles to overcome. This weekend I “met” Marie whose son Alex has a challenge ahead of him. Marie and her family live quite close to us, but without Twitter and Facebook we never would have met. 

Alex has a form of cerebral palsy, spastic diplegia. This affects Alex’s legs. Alex can walk, but he needs splints to help him, as the muscles in his legs are too tight. He is not as stable as other children, and is prone to falling. As time goes on children become more aware of those who are different, those who can’t keep up.
There is a treatment for Alex’s condition, an operation known as Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy. This is not new surgery, it has been performed at St Louis Children’s Hospital in Missouri  by Dr Park for  well over 20 years. 2 000 children have undergone surgery, and the success rate is reported at 100 %.

Unfortunately, although the treatment is proven to be safe and effective, the NHS have declined funding for Alex to undergo this procedure, as it cannot be done in the UK and the NHS have decided not to fund, in this instance, treatment overseas. As a result,  his family have made the decision to self fund. They require our help. All of us. 

Please dig deep, every little bit raised will help Alex to have this important surgery, which will improve his quality of life, for the rest of his life. A great investment I am sure you will agree.
For further information about how to help Alex, and how to donate please visit http://www.alexjameshopefund.co.uk/

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