Dylan Kirkley is a 4 and half year old little boy who was born with Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus. As a result, Dylan has significant mobility problems and cannot walk unaided.
Dylan has lots of new friends in the street where he lives who are of a similar age. They love to run around and play out on their bikes and scooters but Dylan is unable to keep up with them. He adores them and why should he be any different? Dylan’s friends then came up with the amazing idea of fundraising to buy Dylan a specialist trike so that he could be one of the gang and ride along with them!
Fundraising events were planned by our community, Dylan kick started this by competing in this years Children’s Great North Run Wheelchair race. With his Dad’s help in pushing him, they came first! Simon, Dylan’s Dad followed on by competing in the Great North Run 2016, and along with a neighbour they also completed the Kielder half marathon. Finally the children in our street and their friends all came together to ‘Walk for Dylan’ and raised more money doing a sponsored walk down at Newburn Countryside Park.
The fundraising has been phenomenal, we have now been able to order Dylan his very own Trike, and this will enable Dylan to be just like all his friends when they play out in the street. We have also been able to explore funding a more lightweight, manoeuvrable wheelchair to help promote Dylan’s independence, his current chair doesn’t meet his needs and to get him what he really needs, we need to fund it ourselves. Dylan has borrowed a temporary wheelchair on trial and he has taken to it brilliantly, the wheelchair is Dylan’s main way to get around and a new chair will mean he finally has his legs at last! Any excess in funds that continue to be raised will contribute to either private physiotherapy sessions, a lycra suit to improve his trunk control and core strength for when he does walk in his frame, or an new ipad, which Dylan uses a lot when he has to stay still during his bow