EmilGO
Donation protected
Emil's Story by Mummy & Daddy
“A lot of what is most beautiful about the world arises from struggle”
Malcolm Gladwell.
When we first decided to embark on fundraising, Emil was 3yrs 6 months old and we were raising funds for a life-changing operation called Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR). This operation involves cutting the sensory nerves in the lower spine, in turn reducing the abnormal messages Emil currently receives from his sensory nerves.
Emil’s battle with Cerebral Palsy will be for a life time and we are working hard to make as much of an impact on his life as we can, in order that he lives as much of an independent and pain free life as possible, that allows him to be physically strong and fitting fit. Physiotherapy and medication are very much part of Emil’s daily life and he deals with this very well, usually with a smile. Emil works very hard with daily exercises; he attends private physiotherapy and horse riding, swimming and hydrotherapy weekly. We do know that as time passes the pain in his legs and arms will increase as the muscles tighten with growth and so we hope the operation will help to alleviate some of this.
Where we can, we try to update on Emil’s progress and share his momentous points.
Fundraising has been a god-send and at present allows Emil to attend private physiotherapy and work towards the first hurdle of the operation. We are forever grateful for all of the support we have received from family, friends and the community and can’t thank everyone enough.
Below is a little history of Emil’s journey so far:
Emil was born very premature at 31 weeks via an emergency c-section. We felt so blessed and fortunate that Emil was safe after such a traumatic birth. He then spent 5 weeks in Special Care and thankfully we were able to bring our little boy home.
At the age of 1, Emil was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, specifically bilateral spastic legs with some difficulties in his arms too. It was a very difficult time and took us some time to come to terms with it. Emil’s type of Cerebral Palsy results in very high muscle tone, which means his leg muscles are incredibly stiff, he quite often struggles to control the movements himself and he is unable to stand or walk unaided. Day to day activities are completely compromised but Emil is an amazing, smiley little boy who is extremely determined and wants to be involved in everything with family and friends.
With lots of hard work from Emil, especially in the last year and a half, he is making good progress and getting stronger and more confident with his abilities. In the early days, once Emil was upright, he mobilised with a Kaye walker and did so for a few years. As he has improved his strength, so has his mobility and he now uses tripod sticks confidently. Emil is working too on using single sticks which we are so thrilled about. We are continually amazed at his positivity and resilience!
“A diamond is a chunk of coal that did well under pressure”
Henry Kissinger.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to everyone who has supported Emil (and us as a family), we are forever grateful.
Helen, Lindz, Sebastien and most importantly Emil. Xxxx
----------------------------------------
To keep track of Emil's progress and our fundraising events, please check out our facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/EmilGOGOGO
“A lot of what is most beautiful about the world arises from struggle”
Malcolm Gladwell.
When we first decided to embark on fundraising, Emil was 3yrs 6 months old and we were raising funds for a life-changing operation called Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR). This operation involves cutting the sensory nerves in the lower spine, in turn reducing the abnormal messages Emil currently receives from his sensory nerves.
Emil’s battle with Cerebral Palsy will be for a life time and we are working hard to make as much of an impact on his life as we can, in order that he lives as much of an independent and pain free life as possible, that allows him to be physically strong and fitting fit. Physiotherapy and medication are very much part of Emil’s daily life and he deals with this very well, usually with a smile. Emil works very hard with daily exercises; he attends private physiotherapy and horse riding, swimming and hydrotherapy weekly. We do know that as time passes the pain in his legs and arms will increase as the muscles tighten with growth and so we hope the operation will help to alleviate some of this.
Where we can, we try to update on Emil’s progress and share his momentous points.
Fundraising has been a god-send and at present allows Emil to attend private physiotherapy and work towards the first hurdle of the operation. We are forever grateful for all of the support we have received from family, friends and the community and can’t thank everyone enough.
Below is a little history of Emil’s journey so far:
Emil was born very premature at 31 weeks via an emergency c-section. We felt so blessed and fortunate that Emil was safe after such a traumatic birth. He then spent 5 weeks in Special Care and thankfully we were able to bring our little boy home.
At the age of 1, Emil was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, specifically bilateral spastic legs with some difficulties in his arms too. It was a very difficult time and took us some time to come to terms with it. Emil’s type of Cerebral Palsy results in very high muscle tone, which means his leg muscles are incredibly stiff, he quite often struggles to control the movements himself and he is unable to stand or walk unaided. Day to day activities are completely compromised but Emil is an amazing, smiley little boy who is extremely determined and wants to be involved in everything with family and friends.
With lots of hard work from Emil, especially in the last year and a half, he is making good progress and getting stronger and more confident with his abilities. In the early days, once Emil was upright, he mobilised with a Kaye walker and did so for a few years. As he has improved his strength, so has his mobility and he now uses tripod sticks confidently. Emil is working too on using single sticks which we are so thrilled about. We are continually amazed at his positivity and resilience!
“A diamond is a chunk of coal that did well under pressure”
Henry Kissinger.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to everyone who has supported Emil (and us as a family), we are forever grateful.
Helen, Lindz, Sebastien and most importantly Emil. Xxxx
----------------------------------------
To keep track of Emil's progress and our fundraising events, please check out our facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/EmilGOGOGO
Organizer
Lindz Mason
Organizer
