I have now successfully run the Virgin
London Marathon in support of The Bobath Centre (a Charity for Children with Cerebral
Palsy).
In April 2007, Victoria and I had our first child Alex and there were some complications when he made
his entrance to the world. He spent 2 weeks in The Special Care Baby Unit
(SCBU) at and was
monitored day and night by some wonderful doctors and nurses. We
were made aware at this time that due to his lack of oxygen at birth, he could
be left with problems and after undergoing further tests, Alex was
diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy at 13 months old.
As you can imagine Alex, has since spent a lot of time being poked and prodded
by a range of specialists but has remained resilient throughout. He has
shown a strength of character that has made us so proud. We were lucky
enough to gain a 2 week block course of physiotherapy at ’s Specialist Bobath Centre. We attended the centre at the beginning of
February and those 2 weeks were invaluable to us as a family. Bobath therapy has helped us to understand
why Alex moves in a particular way and what he finds particular difficulty
with. We could see a marked improvement
in his ability in just 7 days which is so encouraging!
We have a wonderful son who provides us with so much joy and with our help and
support, along with your donations, we hope to make it a brighter, stronger
future for him and others like him. Alex is an extremely determined, bright
and happy child who has physical limitations. His development has come on
leaps and bounds in the past 12 months we are rewarded daily with his progress.
We are determined that Alexs physical disabilities will not hold him back in life and with the help and support of Bobath we believe we can achieve this.
We appreciate anything anyone can give, especially in the current climate
however please tick the Gift Aid box to
get some extra money back from the Tax Man!
About CP:
Cerebral palsy is a disability caused by damage to the brain. There are many
causes of cerebral palsy but in Alex’s case, this took place during
birth. There is no cure for cerebral palsy, but much can be done to limit
the degree of disability that may have occurred if treatment had not been
given.
Damage to the brain may not only affect the child physically, but may result in
visual, perceptual, auditory and learning disabilities. The physical disability may affect the child's
interaction with and exploration of the world about them. It can also affect
the child's ability to learn and develop intellectually, although this can
often be minimised if the appropriate management is given. Most children with
cerebral palsy have either spasticity or athetosis or a combination of the two. Alex has been diagnosed with athetosis.
Information:
Bobath Centre
for Children with Cerebral Palsy - Charity no: 229663
www.bobathlondon.co.uk
www.scope.org.uk
Donating:
Using JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Once you donate, they send
your money directly to the Bobath charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed
on every eligible donation by a
taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate, plus I raise more, whilst
saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
So please dig deep and donate now.
Thanks Jonathan & Victoria
