We five not so frequent walkers – Andy Healy, Brian O’Hagan, Ed Charles, Matt Grant and Simon Smith – are undertaking the challenge of completing 20 hilly miles of the South Downs in a single day to raise funds to help Brian’s son James, who has Cerebral Palsy, go to America for an operation to help him walk.

 

In June 2006 when James was 8 weeks old he had a heart attack and died. He was dead on arrival at Worthing Hospital and although doctors were able to resuscitate him Brian and James’ mum Grace were told he had a less than 1% chance of surviving. No-one expected him to make it through the night.

 

Today, James is a happy, bright and clever little boy who despite having the worst possible start in life has made great progress. As a result of his original event he has Cerebral Palsy which makes it very difficult for him to walk independently. He is a very determined and tries very hard to walk but is only able to manage short distances with the aid of two sticks or a frame.  The wear and tear on his body means by the time he is a teenager he will almost certainly need full-time use of a wheelchair.

 

However, thanks to pioneering surgery in the United States, James now has the chance to walk independently. A procedure known as Selective Dorsal Richotomy (SDR) performed at St. Louis Children’s Hospital in Missouri will stop the messages from his brain to his muscles, which makes his legs and feet stiffen.

 

The team who carry out the SDR procedure have a 100% success rate and have performed the operation on over 2,000 children.  They think that if James has this operation he will receive the following benefits:  (i) His spasticity will be permanently reduced (ii) His sitting and standing will improve (iii) His movement in and out of different postures will improve (iv) His balance and level of comfort will improve (v) His walking will improve significantly, so much so he has a chance to walk independently in all environments.

 

In order for James to have this operation his family and friends need to raise £60,000 which will cover not only the costs of the procedure but his stay in America and the intense physiotherapy he will need afterwards to build up the strength in his muscles.

 

Those people who know us 5 walkers well will tell you 20 miles of hill walking in a single day is quite a challenge. But we think if James can climb mountains every day then the least we can conquer the South Downs!

 

Our aim is to raise £1,000 towards the overall appeal target. If you would like to sponsor our challenge please click the donate now button at the bottom of this page. Alternatively, you can contact Caudwell Children on 01782 600114.

 

Important note to donors: As long as James requires the funds raised to pay for treatment in the United States, Caudwell Children will manage all payments of funds for the family. Should there come a time, for whatever reason, that James no longer requires the funds raised for medical treatment and living expenses while in America then the monies raised will be used to provide similar donations to sick and disabled children living within the UK through the charity, Caudwell Children.