Just4Children are raising funds to give Harris the support he needs to access vital therapies and specialist equipment.
In January 2022 our little warrior Harris was born 10 weeks early. He spent the first 9 weeks of his life in Kirkcaldy Neonatal Intensive Care unit where he had a very difficult start.
Harris was a fighter from day one needing breathing support for the first several weeks of his life. As our little boy got stronger we prepared to take him home after 9 weeks in NICU.
Due to his premature birth and health struggles in his early weeks, Harris was found to have bilateral cystic PVL (peri ventricular leukomalacia). PVL is a brain injury to the white matter of the brain, in his case causing cysts to form. The week before his first Christmas we received the devastating news that Harris likely had Cerebral Palsy. This was later confirmed just a week before his first birthday on the 18th of January 2023.
As parents our hearts were broken to learn about Harris’ diagnosis. We never expected to be wondering if our little boy would ever walk, talk, smile or laugh. However, what we did know is that we would put our all into giving Harris the best opportunities possible.
Early interventions and therapies are crucial to children like Harris to give them the best opportunity for the reaching their full potential. Having the opportunity to take part in as much therapy as possible and having the right equipment to support this helps the brain ‘rewire’ itself, creating new pathways and ultimately giving children the best chance to make progress with their abilities.
Unfortunately, the support available to us from the NHS is minimal and we are funding many of the therapies and equipment ourselves.
Our ultimate goal for Harris is that he will be able to walk independently in the future. To achieve this we have to ensure we give him every opportunity to access the vital therapies and equipment necessary for him to make as much progress as he can. Any efforts and contributions will go to help our beautiful little boy achieve all he can.
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