With the current lockdown Noah and all the other riders are very sadly missing their time at the RDA. For the very same reasons, the RDA are missing a lot of fundraising! This incredible charity, that provides so much to so many, relies entirely on donations from the riders and fundraising events, obviously in this time of social distancing etc none of this is possible, yet the costs of running the charity are the same (horses still need feeding and maintaining!)

Noah has decided to raise as much money as possible by running/walking 10 laps of our road in aid of and with thanks for the RDA; To most fit and healthy people, this wouldn't be much of an effort, but to Noah this is no easy task. Peggy's support and understanding of Noah's condition, for several years now, has hugely contributed to the confidence and ability he has today

Apologies to anyone who recognises the below from last year, but it still applies! 😁 

At the age of 3 and a half we noticed Noah was developing a limp and suffering a lot of stiffness and discomfort in one of his legs. After visits to several doctors and hospitals with various tests and x-rays, Noah was diagnosed with Perthes disease. Around 1 in 10,000 children suffer with PD and relatively little is known about the cause. In short the disease causes the top of the femur in one or both legs to lose blood flow and effectively die. The good news is, PD is temporary and blood flow resumes somewhere between 2 and 3 years later and the bone heals itself. Treatment and opinions vary vastly between medical practitioners with as many voices recommending restricting activity as there are encouraging to keep active, but one common theme is that keeping the range of movement in the hip is key to maximising the chance of full recovery.

At the time of diagnosis we had never heard of Perthes Disease; The differing opinions and seemingly few actual 'treatments' only served to make things more stressful at an already difficult time. The consultant mentioned he had another patient in a similar position to Noah who had seen improvement from horse riding at Riding for the Disabled. On speaking with Peggy over the phone and first visiting we were absolutely amazed. The Rda can only be described as a magical place, Peggy and her team are absolutely outstanding, the work they do and passion for inclusion and support for Noah and the other riders is beyond belief

I'm pleased to say Noah appears to be coming towards the latter stages of PD and currently seems to be doing really well so we're hoping for a good recovery. This is in no small part thanks to Peggy and the team, without her support and understanding of Noahs illness, I'm confident we wouldn't be in such a positive position now.

 

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