Independent is a great word to use when describing our son. He loves lego, retro batman, marvel movies, music by The Beatles, watching football matches, magic tricks, cracking jokes, dressing like his teenage brother. He walks as much as he can but he is reliant on a wheelchair whenever we leave home - this restricts Reef and his siblings in where we can go and what we can access. This is because Reef was diagnosed aged 2 with Diplegic Cerebral Palsy.
Everyone who meets Reef doesn't meet a depressed disabled kid, they meet a loveable, witty, fun and very smart 7 year old boy. However we as a family have to administer meds day and night that have some rather unpleasant side affects, we have to perform painful physio on his legs and strap him into heavy, uncomfortable orthopaedic night Splints, day splints and corrective footwear as he now suffers from deformities in his feet and legs due to the condition.
A growth spurt this year saw Reef temporarily lose his independence completely. It was such a shock and glimpse of his future. As Reef grows his hard fought mobility will decrease. He is predicted to be a tall man and is likely to end up fully reliant on a wheelchair. But it doesn't have to be this way. The SDR operation we are trying to raise money for will help prevent that from happening. The operation will also free him from the pain and spasms caused by his condition.
He was approved as an excellent candidate for this operation last year, to be performed by the NHS. Then the funding was cruelly taken away, not just from Reef but many other children with the same condition.
From everyone who loves Reef Beach, thank you for taking the time to read his story, and please help if you can.