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My name is Simon Wallace. I am taking part in the Brooks Brighton 10k run to raise money to help a little boy I know get the chance to walk.   The little boy in question is called James O'Hagan. He is 5 years old and has Cerebral Palsy. When James was just 8 weeks old he had a heart attack and died. Whilst doctors were able to resuscitate him his mum and dad were warned James had a less than 1% chance of survival.   Somehow James did survive and today is a typical 5 year old boy - bright, inquisitive and cheeky! However, owing to his Cerebral Palsy James finds it difficult to walk and can only do so with the help 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   Friends and family have been working really hard to raise the £60,000 needed for James' operation and time in America, and for the intensive post-operative physiotherapy he will need on his return home. So far £45,000 has been raised so there is still some way to go for the family to reach their target in time for James to make the scheduled operation date of the 1st November.   If you can help therefore in getting James to America by sponsoring my 10k run you will be making a big difference to an incredible little boy.   Anyone interested in helping the James O'Hagan Appeal is asked to contact Caudwell Children on 01782 600114 or to donate online visit <a href="http://www.justgiving.com/achancetowalk">www.justgiving.com/achancetowalk</a>   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.

So James Can Too

So James Can Too

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