A Chance to Walk

This extraordinary little boy needs your help.

In June 2006 when James was 8 weeks old he had a heart attack and died. He was dead on arrival at Worthing Hospital and although doctors were able to resuscitate him we were told he had a less than 1% chance of surviving. We didn’t expect him to make it through the night.

Today, James is a happy, bright and clever little boy who despite having the worst possible start in life has made great progress. We were warned that he would have profound disabilities because of his brain being denied oxygen. We didn’t know then whether James could see, hear or even swallow. For the first two years of his life he was fed entirely through a tube. But then one day James started to eat and now has a full and varied diet.

As a result of his original event James has Cerebral Palsy which makes it very difficult for him to walk independently. He is a very determined and tries very hard to walk but is only able to manage short distances with the aid of two sticks or a frame.  The wear and tear on his body means by the time he is a teenager he will almost certainly need full-time use of a wheelchair.

However...

Thanks to pioneering surgery in the United States, James now has the chance to walk independently. A procedure known as Selective Dorsal Richotomy (SDR) performed at St. Louis Children’s Hospital in Missouri will stop the messages from his brain to his muscles, which makes his legs and feet stiffen.

The team who carry out the SDR procedure have a 100% success rate and have performed the operation on over 2,000 children.  They think that if James has this operation he will receive the following benefits: -

·         His spasticity will be permanently reduced

·         His sitting and standing will improve

·         His movement in and out of different postures will improve

·         His balance and level of comfort will improve

·         His walking will improve significantly, so much so he has a chance to walk independently in all environments

In order for James to have this operation we need to raise £60,000 which will cover not only the costs of the procedure but his stay in America and the intense physiotherapy he will need afterwards to build up the strength in his muscles.

Anyone interested in helping the James O'Hagan Appeal is asked to contact Caudwell Children on 01782 600114 or to donate online visit www.justgiving.com/achancetowalk

Important note to donors: As long as James requires the funds raised to pay for treatment in the United States, Caudwell Children will manage all payments of funds for the family. Should there come a time, for whatever reason, that James no longer requires the funds raised for medical treatment and living expenses while in America then the monies raised will be used to provide similar donations to sick and disabled children living within the UK through the charity, Caudwell Children.