Why Scope?

Well, 2 years ago my family and I had our lives irrevocably changed by the very sad and very unexpected loss of my nephew Leo. Leo was 4 years old and had, among other things, cerebral palsy.

Children with cerebral palsy have difficulty controlling and moving their muscles. It is usually caused by an injury to the brain before, during or after birth. In the UK, cerebral palsy affects about 1 in 400 children, and can have many contributing factors as well as varying levels of severity. No two people are affected by their cerebral palsy in the same way, there is no cure but physio and other therapies can help some people lead more independent lives. Leo had the most severe form of cerebral palsy, all of his limbs were affected as well as his ability to communicate...having said that he was more than capable of making his needs known to anyone within earshot or biting distance...as my brother can testify too :o)

Leo was an amazing little boy who had a huge effect on our lives and his loss is felt by us all every day, The reason I chose Scope was because although Leo had a lot of struggles to contend with during his far too short life he taught us all an awful lot about him, cerebral palsy and ourselves.

I want to raise awareness of cerebral palsy and hopefully raise some much needed funds for some brilliant and very inspiring people who have to face struggles every single day. So once again I am committing myself to 18 weeks of training and a marathon at the end of it, yes my muscles will ache and yes my limbs will be stiff but lets be honest in comparison to what I saw Leo go through it's nothing, and when I think I've had enough and my legs will not move me forward any more it'll be his cheeky chuckle (the one reserved for when one of his brother was being told off) that drives me forward and knowing that although I can't help him I might just be able to help someone else.

Thanks for taking the time to read my page, please donate if you can.

Carley xx