Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Help Ruby on her Feet is a campaign that has been set up by myself and my wife to support our daughter, Ruby, who has Cerebral Palsy.

We will be organising and taking part in fundraising events over the next twelve months to help raise funds for our daughter Ruby, treatment for cerebral palsy. 

Ruby was born at 30 weeks on Christmas Day 2010. Although very tiny at 2lb 15oz, she did amazingly well in the Royal Gwent Neo-Natal Unit and came home after just 6 weeks in hospital. Apart from having to overcome the struggle of being born prematurely along with having to undergo heart surgery at 6 months we were hopeful that the worst was behind us. Although Ruby was a little slower in development, we were told this was to be expected due to her being born so early. But by the age of two, Ruby was still not showing the signs of being able to walk or stand independently so we arranged for an appointment with her consultant. After several months of tests and assessments, Ruby was diagnosed with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy. This was a massive blow to us as we didn’t know what this would mean for Ruby’s future, would she be able to sit, crawl, walk or be like any “normal” child.

Ruby surprises us every day with the new things that she can do and we burst with pride seeing her slowly overcome her disability. Ruby is determined to walk unaided, to swim, to skip, to jump, to run! But she needs help to get there. We, friends and family are all organising and taking part in various fundraising events over the next twelve months to help raise £50,000 to fund an operation called Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR), physiotherapy and equipment.  SDR is a neurosurgical procedure aimed at reducing spasticity (tight and stiff muscle tone) in the lower limbs. The surgery requires the bones of the spine in the lower back area to be opened to reveal the end of the spinal cord and gain access to the nerve roots. The surgeon will test each nerve electrically to detect an abnormality in one of the roots. Once detected, the nerve is slightly severed to reduce the message being sent to the muscles which causes the spasticity which will decrease the tightening in Ruby’s legs. Once the operation is completed there will be 18 months of intense physiotherapy to teach Ruby to walk with muscles she would never have used before. This surgery has been pioneered in America and more recently is now being provided at a handful of hospitals in the UK through a private consultation.

Ruby will also need intense physiotherapy along with regular exercises and stretching pre and post the operation. The intense physiotherapy with the help of a strength and conditioning coach will help Ruby to build up her strength and aid in reducing the tightness in her muscles. With the help of the above treatment we are hopeful that Ruby will be able to walk unaided. 

As parents we want to help Tree of Hope support Ruby to become more mobile and for her to be able to join in and play with her friends. 

'Keep an eye on our updates for the latest fundraising events and those who are supporting us.' by also visiting www.facebook.com/freetowalk

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So please dig deep and donate now.

Many Thanks

Ruby's Mum & Dad xx

If we exceed the target amount or if we do not raise enough, or if the funds cannot be used for any other reason, they will go to Tree of Hope to help other sick children.