Kelly Baillie
Kelly's 100km for Rory
Fundraising for Steps
Story
This is Rory's story....
At age 8 Rory was very active and his main passion was football. He played at every opportunity and enjoyed scoring goals for his local team Woolton Hill.
After a summer of complaining about pain in his leg with the occasional limp we thought this was a sign of the future sporting injuries to come. As the limping increased doctors were convinced it was "growing pains" but we were not as the pain would at times wake Rory in the night. After seeing a specialist at Southampton Hospital last November Rory was diagnosed with Perthes disease (see below for more detail).
We had never heard of Perthes before and did not know what to do or expect. Rory was immediately heartbroken that he would not be able to play football for the next few years. He was also scared for his upcoming operation and the fear that he would not be able to play with his friends like other 8 year old children.
2 months later Rory had his "shelf" operation which strategically placed bone to protect the ball part of his hip joint. Rory was so so brave and a true "Perthes Warrior".
Rory cannot join in PE at school, he cannot jump, run or walk without crutches but he can swim and he loves it! We go swimming regularly and this has really helped his recovery whilst also allowing him to join in a fun activity.
He is now 1 year into using his crutches and has 1 more year to go. The Perthes journey is a long one but he is coping tremendously and he makes us extremely proud.
Mum's Challenge:
As I am so in awe of our brave warrior I wanted to raise awareness for Perthes disease and support an amazing charity Steps Worldwide. Steps is the leading charity working for all those whose lives are affected by childhood lower limb conditions . Everything they do is about valuing and supporting individuals and families affected by conditions which have an impact on the legs, hips or feet.
When I was trying to think of ways to fundraise I thought "what do I least like doing?" and the answer was obvious....RUNNING. I really want to love running but I don't, I am NOT a natural runner! So that was it - I decided I would run 100km over 4 weeks (5 runs a week). I will start on 17th November and finish on 15th December (the day before Rory's next hospital appointment).
As a family we would be extremely grateful for any donations to support Steps Worldwide which helps support so many families like ours!
About Perthes disease:
Perthes disease or Legg-Calve-Perthes disease, as it is sometimes known, is a condition which develops in childhood and affects the hip joint. In cases of Perthes, the blood supply to the top of the thighbone (femur) around and underneath the ball part of the joint becomes disrupted. This means that the blood supply to the growth plate (epiphysis) is restricted, causing the bone to become soft and start to break up.
It is not known why the blood supply to the hip becomes affected; it is not reported to be caused by physical injury or a problem with blood vessels in the rest of the body and there are no other childhood conditions which are known to be linked to Perthes.
In most cases, over time, the affected blood vessels begin to regrow, allowing new bone to be produced in the damaged area. Recovery may take several years as the bone around the femoral head reforms – in a similar, but more prolonged way, to the recovery of a bone following a fracture.
The long-term effects depend on how severely the shape of the hip joint is altered by the disease. Some patients will end up with painful arthritis at some stage in adult life and may require a hip replacement.
Thank you for taking the time to read our story xx