This is Charlie aged 9 from Stone in Staffordshire. He is a happy, chatty boy who was born prematurely at 30 weeks in 2014.

Charlie has a diagnosis of quadriplegic cerebral palsy and cannot walk or stand unaided. His twin Freddie, who also has cerebral palsy, had an operation called selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) in 2019 covered by the NHS. Unfortunately, Charlie does not meet the criteria for NHS funding.

SDR is a specialist neurosurgery that aims to reduce or take away the spasticity or tightness. Charlie has a lot of spasticity, a result of an abnormal communication between the brain and the nerves to his muscles. SDR is effective in treating spasticity by cutting the nerve rootlets in the spinal canal that are sending abnormal signals. Alder Hey Children's Hospital have agreed to do the surgery privately funded for Charlie. The cost is £16,000.

SDR has a very intensive rehabilitation period of daily physiotherapy which again will be privately funded, so we are aiming to raise £20k for Just4Children.

SDR is not a cure for cerebral palsy, but we want to do everything we can to improve Charlie's quality of life and mobility.

So let's take it away Charlie!

Follow Charlie on Instagram

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