Meet our friend Charlie! Charlie McLaren is nine years old and lives in Lincoln with his parent’s Mandy and Todd and elder brother George. Charlie attends Addington School and one of his current aspirations is to be a professional tennis player which is probably not such an unusual ambition for a boy of his age. However, Charlie suffers from a very frustrating condition which does not allow him to enjoy the same freedom of movement as most other children. Charlie was born seven weeks premature and was diagnosed with a form of Cerebral Palsy called Spastic Diplegia. This condition means that he has difficulty walking and balancing due to the spasticity in his legs which make the muscles extremely tight. Charlie has been accepted to have the operation by world-renowned neurosurgeon Dr T.S. Park at the St Louis Children’s Hospital in St Louis, Missouri in the United States. Dr Park is acclaimed for refining the procedure and over the past 25 years has changed the lives of over 2,700 children affected by cerebral palsy. This procedure is not available in New Zealand and the cost to have the operation in St Louis is approximately $100,000. No funding assistance is available through the New Zealand health system for this operation or for the intensive physical therapy that is required upon return from St Louis. Charlie can expect the following improvements after the procedure: • The spasticity in his legs will be permanently reduced and he will be able to straighten his legs properly and walk with his heels on the floor, instead of on tip toes. • His sitting and standing postures will improve. • His level of comfort will improve and he will not have to put up with the painful stretching that he currently endures on a daily basis. • His independent standing and walking balance/control will improve as will his walking stamina in all environments. • The procedure will help to prevent premature aging and allow him to participate in more vigorous exercise alongside his peers. This operation will be life changing for Charlie, it will improve his quality of life greatly and provide him with the opportunity to realise his dreams and potential. With a lot of hard work that dream of becoming a tennis player may come to life after all. See the amazing segment on Seven Sharp about this courageous young New Zealander below tvnz.co.nz/seven-sharp/maria-sharapova-helps-charlie-s-wish-come-true-video-5945308 If you wish to help out, make a bid on our awesome holiday package auction or alternatively any donations would me much appreciated and can be made at the link below. Let’s get Charlie walking! trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=729320255 https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/newlegsforcharlie
Posted on: Wed, 14 May 2014 01:22:56 +0000