Gemma (Mum) and I (Dad) took Max for an appointment at Great Ormond Street Hospital a couple of months back. As some of you may know, Max has Cerebal Palsy and the purpose of the appointment was for them to support in giving us our options in how best to progress Max and his future. We had previously been made aware of the SDR (Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy) procedure but not know whether it was suitable for Max or whether he was suitable for it.

The good news out of the appointment was that GOSH believed Max was a perfect candidate for the operation and state the purpose of the procedure is to improve his quality of life. To give you some detail behind the operation see below;

SDR involves sectioning (cutting) of some of the sensory nerve fibers that come from the muscles and enter the spinal cord. At the time of the operation, the neurosurgeon divides each of the dorsal roots into 3-5 rootlets and stimulates each rootlet electrically. By examining electromyographic (EMG) responses from muscles in the lower extremities, the surgical team identifies the rootlets that cause spasticity. The abnormal rootlets are selectively cut, leaving the normal rootlets intact. This reduces messages from the muscle, resulting in a better balance of activities of nerve cells in the spinal cord, and thus reduces spasticity.

The unfortunate news is that this procedure is still in NHS approval therefore is not currently funded through the NHS and wont be until the next 12-24 months. The amount we are looking to raise is £50,000. This will cover the full operation costs and associated costs as well as intensive physio for 3 weeks along side a few months of private physio.

Where we do not expect anything, whatever you can give to help reach this goal would be greatly appreciated. This would significantly increase Max's mobility if successful and will give him a better way of life.

For any more information please contact
Ryanbean3009@gmail.com

Thank you.