This is our precious little boy Rudi, aged 5 from Mauchline in Ayrshire, Scotland. Rudi is our much loved son and brings us so much joy. He has the happiest little personality and charms everyone he meets with his big blue eyes, his smile and adorable laugh.

Rudi was born a healthy baby at full term with no problems but as the months went on Rudi didn‘t meet expected developmental milestones and we became increasingly worried. After several visits to doctors, referrals and investigations we were advised when Rudi was around 1 year old, that he had central Hypotonia (low muscle tone). We were completely unaware of what this meant for Rudi and we were thrown into a world of unknowns. As the months passed and the appointments with every type of medical professional seemed never ending, Rudi continued to have delays in various areas and we began to learn how low muscle tone was affecting every aspect of his development from gross motor development to eyesight to oral skills. Despite various tests, investigations and seeing lots of specialists over the last few years, Rudi still doesn‘t have any diagnosis or known cause for the challenges he faces.

Despite having no diagnosis low muscle tone has a significant effect on Rudi‘s body and in particular his ability to move around and hold himself up against gravity, meaning he needs to work much harder to maintain his posture and balance. Rudi is unable to walk or get around without support and requires the help of some mobility equipment to participate with other children and do daily activities. Rudi loves to be up on his feet and has a strong desire to move, he especially enjoys using his walking frame when around other kids as it allows him to join in the fun and feel included.

We have been devastated to see our happy and alert little boy face such difficulties and vowed as his parents to find the best therapies and treatment we possibly could in order to give him the greatest chance of leading a fulfilled life with as much independence as possible. After a lot of research we found some treatments and therapies that we felt could benefit Rudi’s mobility and improve his independence. In early 2022 we began taking Rudi for private therapy and set out to do whatever we could to improve his young life and ultimately his future.

We have found a few types of therapy primarily aimed at improving physical mobility which have been really beneficial for Rudi and we can see the positive impact of these on his body and small improvements in various areas of his development.

One of the therapies that we have found has had the most positive impact on Rudi is known as Cuevas Medek Exercise (CME). We have travelled to Manchester and London 3/4 times a year to access this with the only UK based therapist being in England. We have seen ongoing progress in Rudi’s strength, balance, posture & co-ordination and since starting this Rudi has learned to sit on his own which has been a huge achievement for Rudi and provides a solid foundation for future progress. He is also now able to stand with reasonable balance on his own and has become more and more confident taking steps again with very minimal support! He has been a superstar & we are so proud of him working so hard. We believe with ongoing therapy and practice, he will continue to make progress and improve his mobility.

We plan to travel to Romania for 2 weeks intensive CME therapy in March 2024 with a very experienced therapist and we are excited to see how Rudi gets on. We will also continue to travel to Manchester/London for regular sessions with our UK based therapist.

We also hope to attend the world renowned NAPA centre which has recently opened in London. The NAPA centre are leaders in the field of pediatric physical therapy and offer a multi disciplinary approach looking at all aspects of development. We hope to attend a 3 week intensive therapy programme later this year If we are successful in raising the funds needed.

Rudi has also gained some progress from another therapy approach known as MAES Therapy based in London. We have attended intensive sessions 3 times per year from these movement specialists and have seen improvement in the quality of Rudi's movement as well as in his communication.

For Rudi the benefit of these therapies are so vitally important and have such a significant effect on his development. They are a means of helping him learn skills, improve his functional ability and increase his independence. They are the key to unlocking the best future for Rudi.

Any funds raised will help cover the costs of these specialist therapies and possible equipment to give Rudi the best life and gain as much independent mobility as possible. Unfortunately public services are so over stretched and only able to provide minimal therapeutic intervention and equipment. We have tried our best to self fund over the last 2 years and have relied on the generosity of family and friends helping wherever they can but we can no longer sustain this and therefore we have decided to ask for help. We are extremely grateful for any contribution no matter how small, and, as his parents we want to thank you for taking the time to read about Rudi and supporting our precious boy to reach his full potential.