A WARRINGTON mum has launched a fund-raising campaign to help her six-year-old son receive specialist surgery to alleviate daily pain in his legs.
Little Leon Hoey has cerebral palsy of the lower limbs and is in constant pain.
Leon went to alder hey hospital on the 16th of Jan to see a a surgeon for the results of his gaiter analyst. This shows how Leon walks and holds himself
as he is walking.
His mum Annemarie Dougan from longford, said: “From the results the doctor decided that he wouldn’t be able to do anything to the bones as Leon is too young to have the surgery and would have to wait until he is 9-11 years old.
“He then suggested a SDR* operation which it’s a neurology operation. This involves key hole surgery in the spine and it cuts all the tendons in his legs and helps them to release.”
Annemarie added: “For Leon to have that done would be a massive change as he currently walks on his tip toes causing him to go over to the back of his foot.
“Leon has to wear splints everyday and he doesn’t like them as they are big and bulky and he knows that he looks different with them on. But it’s the only way that he can keep his feet flat.”
She said an SDR operation, which costs £20,000 was not funded on the NHS anymore as there wasn’t a 100 percent success rate.
Following the operation Leon will need a priviate physio which will also require funding and it will take up to two years to get his strength back.
Annemarie added: “It’s a lot of hard work and will need a lot of help but if this op will save him some of the pain that he gets all the time it would be worth it. We really need the good people from Warrington to help us out. Everyone that meets Leon falls in love with him.”
A go fund me page has been launched here https://www.gofundme.com/help-me-get-my-sdr-operation-x and has so far received over £400 in donations.
*(SDR) surgery is a procedure that treats muscle spasticity caused by abnormal communication among the brain, spinal cord, nerves and muscles.
