Nearly five years ago our world changed completely.

Angus traumatic birth and complex condition forced us - at terrifying speed - to hurriedly learn about paediatric Cerebral Palsy, healthcare management, NHS systems and, behind it all, fundraising.

Aware of the potential of a child with Cerebral Palsy and yet frustrated by the lack of NHS therapy provision locally we are, 60 months on, as any parents would, trying to fund Angus private care to achieve his full potential.

That amounts to private physiotherapy twice a week at home, private speech therapy once a week as well as telehealth physiotherapy with an American clinic once a week and, where we have been able to, visits to one of the leading paediatric neuro-disability clinics in the world in Boston.

It adds up to at least an annual salary, each year, for the rest of Angus life. All at a time when we are, as a carer family, massively reduced in our income.

And this isn't about linear progression with each year bringing new skills that will be retained by Angus for life, each session therefore an investment to take him up a one-way ladder of progression. No, the skills he acquires need to be maintained through physio and speech and feeding therapy or they will wither and be lost.

We need therefore to support Angus's progress but we are also conscious that the moment we stop driving forward he will slip backwards.

Our mission as parents is consequently more vital, more crucial and more daunting and never gives us a moment to rest.

So much has been raised for Angus already but nearly all of it has been spent giving him every bit of support up until now. Looking ahead he needs more help to achieve the future his family and therapists know is possible.

As Angus approaches his fifth birthday he is daily making progress with his new eye gaze machine with which he has started to construct sentences and to give a voice to his personality. It reveals in all its glory the wonderful, cheeky, intelligent, enquiring and funny lad we are working with; the boy who has so much to offer if we can keep up the support to hold advances and to even press forward.

Weve been absolutely blown away with how much support we have had over the years and we could not be more grateful to everyone who has helped Angus treatment.

We have raised a lot of money for Just4Children so far but unfortunately for Angus and children like him the need does not go away. He needs support this year and indeed every year to achieve all he can be.

In 2022 were planning on loads of activities, including a lare team for the Colchester Half Marathon

to raise funds for Angus and his future.

If youd like to get involved please drop me, Anguss dad, a line on degrocott@gmail.com and together we can battle the blisters and bunions for a delightful little boys future.

Thank you for reading.

#TeamAngus

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