Hi! My name is Dana, I am the mom of August.

As many of you know, (or not) August was born 8 weeks premature, and due to that, he was born with a grade 2 brain bleed, which was always a chance that it could result in him having some form of Cerebral Palsy.

That was confirmed at about 1.5 years after missed milestones in the walking department.

August attends regular Physio, doctor's appointments, and specialist appointments, but with all that, the tightness in his legs is still stopping him from walking.

Cerebral Palsy in itself is not a progressive disease, however, with his lower limb muscles being so tight (spastic) at all times, that has, and will continue to cause damage to his bones, joints, and hips.

After lots of research, debate, and questions, we have decided to and been accepted to a program for August to get SDR Surgery in St. Louis Missouri. (SDR = Selective dorsal rhizotomy). This is a spinal surgery done by a neurologist to cut the signals going from the brain, down the spine and into the legs that are causing him his tightness.

Although Dr. Park @ St. Louis has done thousands of these, it is a risky surgery, with a long healing process.

Because this procedure is available in Ontario (if he was accepted here, it could take years after his 4th birthday to get the surgery, as well as information on the surgeon doing it in Ontario is sparse, and I cannot get questions answered) we cannot get this procedure covered by any insurance, or OHIP.

The procedure we are going for is about $60,000 US funds, and that includes SDR, Equipment needed, and 3 weeks of outpatient therapy post-op. Additional costs could be PERCS Surgery afterwords if they decide it will benefit him (PERCS Lengthens the muscles in his legs, as CP causes them not to grow at the same rate as the bones due to their tightness). PERCS is between an additional $8,000 - $12,000 US.

We will be making the trip there this summer just before August's 4th birthday. We will drive to St. Louis, as it's more cost-effective with all his equipment he needs on a day-to-day basis, rather than flying.

We would need to get a hotel for about a month while we are there.

This surgery could and would be life-changing for August. This would allow August's brain to start re-learning how to move his legs properly, once all the tightness has been taken away. This will give him the chance to walk, play without crawling, and enjoy a much more able-bodied life.

This won't take away all his challenges in life, but it will decrease them and give him a better chance to push through them as they come up.

We appreciate any help you are able to give! 

If you wish to donate NOT through go fund me, please contact Anthony or myself. Thanks!!