Just4Children are raising funds for Finley to have SDR surgery, extra post-op physiotherapy and specialist equipment to improve his independence.
Finley is a happy cheeky 4 year old from Kidlington in Oxfordshire. Finley has Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy which affects all 4 limbs. He is on the GMFCS level 4/5.
Finley is one of twins born at 29 weeks. They were both in hospital for 9 long weeks and he had it tough from the get go. Finley was born not breathing, pale and floppy but they got him breathing again after 5 minutes.
While in hospital he had jaundice, suspended sepsis and MRSA colonization. We were told around 4 weeks old that he had Bilateral Periventricular Leukomalacia (brain damage). Then around 8 months old he was diagnosed with Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy.
Finely is not able to walk and run around with his twin brother or friends. He has only recently been able to sit for short periods without support. Finley is highly dependent on his family, friends and teachers to get though day to day basics, including eating, drinking and changing. Finley sometimes gets very frustrated as he is unable to do all the things his twin brother does, basic things we all take for granted.
We have been raising funds for Just4Children to support private physio and equipment to improve his independence and abilities. Finley is battling against spasticity which prevents him from being able to control his posture, arms and legs. The spasticity can cause painful spasms and stiffness throughout the day and causes sleepless nights. There is a operation called SDR (Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy) which can remove the spasticity which would be life changing for Finley. The surgery would involve cutting the sensory nerve fibres in the spinal cord which are sending incorrect signals between Finley’s brain and muscles. Having this operation would give Finley more control over his body by removing any spasticity that his muscles have. Without this operation the spasticity will get worst as he grows, which will cause more problems in the future. Due to Finley being a GMCFS Level 4/5 the operation will not be funded by the NHS!
We have now been accepted at The Great Portland Hospital in London for SDR. This is amazing but it doesn’t stop there. We are not able to receive any extra physiotherapy on the NHS. The physiotherapy is key to success after having this life changing operation, which is where we need your help again.
At this point enough money has been raised for the surgery costing a whopping £34,500. We can’t even explain how thankful we are to everyone who has helped and donated to improve Finley’s Life. We now need to raise more funds for this private physio which can range between £60 and £100 an hour which he will need around 4-5 sessions a week for the first few months while Finley recovers, then on going physio!
Thank you so much for taking the time to read Fantastic Finley’s story.
