Please help us raise money for Tree of Hope to help Gabriel Masih-Gill receive SDR.

We are trying to raise money so our close friend, Gabriel can have a life changing operation in the USA – Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR). Gabriel is 13 years of age. He was born prematurely at 6 months 5 days. He was very poorly. We did not know if he would survive or not. He weighed 3lb 6oz. His parents not see Gabriel until he was 5 hours old – did not hold him until he was 9 days old. He was in hospital for 2 months and came home on New Year’s Day 2000. Gabriel was diagnosed with Diplegia Cerebral Palsy when he was 14 months old. It broke our hearts. Gabriel's family educated themselves about CP so they knew what they were facing and how to cope and do the best they can for Gabes.

Gabriel can not walk without his Rolator  (walking frame). He uses a manual wheelchair and a motorised one. He gets tired very quickly. He is in mainstream school and will be doing 7 GCSE’s. He loves learning at school.

Gabriel had botox injected into his calfs and groin to loosen his muscles when he was 4 – 8 years of age (once a year). He had a major hip operation when he was 9. His hips were broken and had to be put back into place. He had eight plates inserted into his knees to help with getting his feet flat to the floor when he was 11 – worst times for us all.

Gabriel is such a well mannered polite, bright chatty, young lad – rarely moans about doing physio everyday. If Gabriel could have this operation – it would change lives, especially Gabriel’s. He would be able to toilet, bath, shower himself, walk, kick a football and do karate moves! His younger brother Lucien said, “I would be able to walk with Gabe and hold hands and Gabriel could go on my trampoline with me, and Gabe could take me to the shop to buy me my sweets”!

We are very grateful the way Gabriel is and copes with his CP but we would love for Gabriel to be able to walk even if he had to hold his family's hands (which is their dream). I am appealing for everyone to help in way they can to help us raise this money to make Gabriel’s dream come true. We know it is a lot of money – but when it’s money verses Gabriel’s quality of life – we believe it is achievable.

Thank you all for taking your time to read this.