Story
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UPDATE: We have successfully completed our Three Legged London Marathon in a time of 4 hours and 25 minutes. We set a new Guinness World Record for: Fastest marathon three legged (mixed pair) in the process. For photos and further information, visit:
www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.923324604364851.1073741848.809919739038672
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We are Lorna and James Brokenshire-Dyke and are the proud parents of twin boys Solomon and Sebastian. Seb was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy Spastic Diplegia at 15 months old, he is now two years old. He has difficulties with muscle control, balance and coordination. His legs have a tendency to be stiff and go rigid in extension, particularly when he is tired or working hard. This makes simple things, such as crawling, cruising and even sitting, very difficult for him. He is not yet able to stand or walk independently, but he is fiercely determined and trying so hard. “Go walk” was his first two word phrase!
Our aim is to raise at least £70,000 for Tree of Hope so that Seb can have life-changing Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR) surgery which will remove or reduce the spasticity in his legs so that he can move more freely. SDR is not yet routinely available in the UK on the NHS but Seb has been accepted by the world leading paediatric neurosurgeon Dr T S Park at the St Louis Children's Hospital in Missouri. Dr Park has assessed Seb as being an excellent candidate for the procedure and predicts he will be able to walk independently in all environments after surgery and rehabilitation. The money raised will pay for the surgery, aftercare, a prolonged course of physiotherapy and any specialist equipment he might need.
On Sunday 26th April 2016, as part of our fundraising campaign for Seb's Legs, we will be running the 2015 London Marathon together three-legged! Adults with Cerebral Palsy spastic diplegia have described the feeling of tightness (spasticity) in their legs like rubber bands constantly holding back their full range of motion. This is what we imagine it feels like for our son and so, in support of his daily struggles to do even the simplest of things, we will endeavour to disable our legs in the way that his are. In addition to this, we are asking our son to commit to an incredibly intensive post-surgery physiotherapy regime. SDR is only half the story, the physiotherapy required to regain the strength lost through spasticity is akin to an elite athlete's training regime. We are showing our commitment to our son's arduous journey ahead by committing to our own rigorous training schedule.
Our wish
is that one day soon Seb can walk holding hands with his twin brother, kick a
football in the park, maybe even ride a bike or a pony. We just want him to
have the chance to do the things we all take for granted.
To find out more and follow Seb's journey:
www.sebslegs.com
www.facebook.com/SebsLegs
To follow #SebsLegs or Seb's parents' #ThreeLeggedMarathon training on Twitter:
@SebsLegs
@3LeggedMarathon
We are
raising money through Tree of Hope, a registered charity (no. 1149254) which
offers hope to the families of children in the UK with medical conditions who
need specialist surgery, treatment, therapy and equipment in order to free them
from suffering, giving a better quality to their young lives. All of Seb's
funds will be kept securely with them and all invoices for his surgery,
physiotherapy and equipment paid directly by them. Should we not need all the
funds raised, any excess will go to other families supported by this charity.
Thanks for taking the time to visit our JustGiving page. Donating through JustGiving is simple fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send you money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.