My name is Lin, l am Andrew's mum and l would like to tell you a little about him and his herculean effort to walk again after being diagnosed with Cauda Equina Syndrome earlier this year. A very rare, very serious spinal condition.

Andrew’s life changed dramatically at the end of February 2022 after experiencing severe pain in his back and legs. He was unable stand and take any weight on his legs and screamed in pain when he tried. He was taken by ambulance to his local hospital in Dartford, he was so scared and to go alone due to Covid restrictions. There he was mis-diagnosed with sciatica and sent home. His symptoms worsened and was readmitted to hospital to undergo tests.

They were unable to do MRI scans because he was screaming in agonising pain and unable to lay down despite being given strong painkillers. He was there a few days with pain relief as his only treatment. From here he was transferred to King’s College Hospital in London. Within 2 hours of being admitted he rushed to the operating theatre to undertake major emergency spinal surgery lasting 7 hours.

Andrew stayed in King’s for a few weeks and whilst there was told he may never regain the feeling back from his waist down nor walk again. My big strong son was just 31 when he received this devastating news and as you can imagine it dropped him into a black hole that affected his anxiety and mental health. It was such a dark place to be and was probably the worst time of his life.

After 3 months in a local rehab unit the rare opportunity of a bed became available at Stoke Mandeville, the world’s leading spinal rehabilitation hospital. Andrew has now been a patient here for 9 weeks and improving with the help of a dedicated team. He is walking very short distances with assistance. To support him in his recovery his girlfriend Amy,step dad Bob and I visit him every day, a journey which takes 3-4 hours. His medical team is looking to discharge him the end of September.

Andrew and the family are so excited for him to return home but also anxious too. He will require support and the house will need to be adapted. He will also need walking aids and a custom wheelchair. He is also hoping to have a private physio to continue his rehab at home.

Obviously, all this will be costly and as a family we are not in a financial position to provide for all his requirements. I could never ever have imagined l would have write this and it hurts my heart, but we want the very best for Andrew. He so deserves it; he is 32 now and has his whole life in front of him. He wants to have a life as normal as possible. We are extremely proud people, but the fact is that without this financial support, Andrew will not have access to the many things that he will need in the future.

We would be so eternally grateful for any amount of money or support received so that Andrew can achieve his dream to walk again.

Thank you all and God bless

Xxxxx