Ever had someone infer that your child might have cerebral palsy, or something like cerebral palsy, and then tell you not to worry? I have. I had taken my six week old baby, who had a stay in NICU at birth, to the doctor. The doctor did some routine developmental tests, looked concerned and exclaimed, “Ooo, she really shouldn’t be that floppy”. She then turned to me and said, “but don’t worry”.
Cue mad dash to find internet access. Research the hell out of all possible outcomes. Panic. Panic some more. Call husband. Panic. Get a grip, call mum and get mind put to rest.
For me, the fear that my darling daughter might have had cerebral palsy was just a moment of panic caused by a well-meaning, but unthinking doctor. For my cousin, Laura, the reality is that her son, Reece Walker, does have cerebral palsy. Reece and his brother Marcus were born prematurely at 27 weeks. Marcus lost his fight for life at 12 days old. Reece made it. But it soon became apparent that he had CP.
With the help of children’s charity, Caudwell Children, Laura and her husband Scott, have set out to raise £45,000 to cover the costs of taking three year old Reece, to America in April 2012, so he can have life changing Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR) surgery. Having this surgery would enable Reece to walk unaided for the first time in his life. You can read all about Reece’s story and the campaign over at HelpReeceWalkCharityAppeal.
Today, we had some exciting news from Caudwell Children. Reality Relief has set up a Sponsored Bungee! event, at which 10 Reality Stars will be taking place at the O2 Centre in London. And the great news for Laura, Scott and Reece is that all the money raised by Reality Relief for Caudwell Children will go towards helping Reece walk.
Confirmed jumpers include the effervescent Amy Childs from The Only Way Is Essex (Reem!) and Paddy Doherty from Celebrity Big Brother 2011.
The event will take place from 2:30pm at London’s O2 on Sunday 18th December. Visit Reality Relief’s JustGiving page for full information, including how to donate and the meet-and-greet with the reality personalities at the event.
Reality Relief was founded by TV personality Tashie Jackson (Big Brother), as a charity initiative to support and donate money to causes involving women and children in the UK. Reality Relief is special in that it calls on all reality stars to use the popularity they’ve gained from reality TV to raise money for worthwhile causes.
I know this time of year is one when all our budgets are stretched to the max. So can I ask, that even if you aren’t in a position to donate, you help spread the word, so that those who might have a little more spare cash floating around can make a donation? Seeing Laura, Scott and Reece reach their goal would really make my Christmas special.
Thank You, MWM x
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