Life Changing Surgery for Archie #10dollars4archie
Donation protected
Archie is 6 years old. He was born 4 weeks premature. It wasn’t until after Archie started walking that we noticed he would drag his right foot and go up on his right toes. We sought medial assessment and Archie was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy right sided spastic hemiplegia at 18 months. It is a disability that physically affects the right-hand side of his body. We’re not certain of the cause but it’s most likely that he suffered a stroke at some stage before birth.
We need to raise $84,093 to fund Archie’s medical costs to have SDR Surgery, Braces & Equipment and PERCS Surgery in April-2020 by Dr Park at St Louis Children’s Hospital in St Louis, Missouri, USA. The medical treatment will be carried out over 4 weeks. The surgeries will take place within the first week followed by 3 weeks of intensive physiotherapy. The SDR Surgery will permanently reduce spasticity by testing each nerve in his spinal column and cutting the nerves that cause spasticity. The PERCS Surgery will lengthen muscle/tendon to relieve contractures (limited motion) in Archie’s joints. They will eliminate pain associated with movement and minimise future growth complications. More information is available at https://www.stlouischildrens.org/conditions-treatments/center-for-cerebral-palsy-spasticity
Archie will be required to undergo intensive physiotherapy for 12 months upon his return from America to learn how to walk with reduced spasticity. We are extremely grateful that the cost for the intensive physiotherapy will be covered by the National Disability Insurance Scheme. Our goal is for Archie to be able to walk with his foot flat without his Ankle Foot Orthotic and without any future need to undergo painful Botox treatments. It would be a dream come true!
Archie is your typical, beautiful 6-year-old boy. Happy, fun loving, cheeky and very caring. His little sister, Arabella, is his best friend and they don’t go anywhere without one another. Arabella may be the younger sister by 2 years, but you would think she was the older sibling by her protective nature over Archie. He may only be 6 but we’ve already experienced moments that has made Archie reflect on his condition. The most touching was when he noticed other children staring at his leg, after asking us why they were looking he told us that it made him feel sad.
We felt like we won the lottery when Dr Park assessed Archie and confirmed his condition would get a permanent benefit from the surgeries. We’re committed to making it happen and would greatly appreciate your support and assistance to make a life changing difference to our beautiful boy. We’re hoping that through the power of social media and people’s willingness to help we can make the hashtag #10dollars4archie go viral with thousands of people taking the time to donate as every dollar counts. A $10 donation from 8,409 people will achieve the goal.
We acknowledge that many people may not be in a financial position to donate money so for those people who are unable to donate we kindly ask that you share our story through social media so that we increase awareness about Archie’s condition and show other families who have a child with Cerebral Palsy spastic hemiplegia that there are options available to greatly improve your child’s quality of life. SDR Surgery isn’t available in Australia for Archie which is why we need to travel to Dr Park in America. We’ve met many other families that are in a similar situation to us. We feel that by creating awareness and sharing our story we can help others navigate through the unknowns and hopefully make SDR Surgery a common procedure and accessible to all for a fraction of the cost. We’ve included videos of Archie from each year of his life and will also add videos of Archie as he progresses after the surgeries with the hope that it will help other people identify commonalities with their own Cerebral Palsy and see the benefits the surgeries can provide.
The total costs exceed $100,000 so we are relying on savings to cover travel and accommodation in St Louis for the 4 weeks we need to be in America. With that said, if we are fortunate enough to reach our goal, any funds received in excess of $84,093 will be donated to Cerebral Palsy Alliance. They have provided much needed support to Archie over the years and provide an excellent service to all living with Cerebral Palsy and other neurological and physical disabilities.
We would be forever grateful if you were able to donate and share our story with your family and friends.
We need to raise $84,093 to fund Archie’s medical costs to have SDR Surgery, Braces & Equipment and PERCS Surgery in April-2020 by Dr Park at St Louis Children’s Hospital in St Louis, Missouri, USA. The medical treatment will be carried out over 4 weeks. The surgeries will take place within the first week followed by 3 weeks of intensive physiotherapy. The SDR Surgery will permanently reduce spasticity by testing each nerve in his spinal column and cutting the nerves that cause spasticity. The PERCS Surgery will lengthen muscle/tendon to relieve contractures (limited motion) in Archie’s joints. They will eliminate pain associated with movement and minimise future growth complications. More information is available at https://www.stlouischildrens.org/conditions-treatments/center-for-cerebral-palsy-spasticity
Archie will be required to undergo intensive physiotherapy for 12 months upon his return from America to learn how to walk with reduced spasticity. We are extremely grateful that the cost for the intensive physiotherapy will be covered by the National Disability Insurance Scheme. Our goal is for Archie to be able to walk with his foot flat without his Ankle Foot Orthotic and without any future need to undergo painful Botox treatments. It would be a dream come true!
Archie is your typical, beautiful 6-year-old boy. Happy, fun loving, cheeky and very caring. His little sister, Arabella, is his best friend and they don’t go anywhere without one another. Arabella may be the younger sister by 2 years, but you would think she was the older sibling by her protective nature over Archie. He may only be 6 but we’ve already experienced moments that has made Archie reflect on his condition. The most touching was when he noticed other children staring at his leg, after asking us why they were looking he told us that it made him feel sad.
We felt like we won the lottery when Dr Park assessed Archie and confirmed his condition would get a permanent benefit from the surgeries. We’re committed to making it happen and would greatly appreciate your support and assistance to make a life changing difference to our beautiful boy. We’re hoping that through the power of social media and people’s willingness to help we can make the hashtag #10dollars4archie go viral with thousands of people taking the time to donate as every dollar counts. A $10 donation from 8,409 people will achieve the goal.
We acknowledge that many people may not be in a financial position to donate money so for those people who are unable to donate we kindly ask that you share our story through social media so that we increase awareness about Archie’s condition and show other families who have a child with Cerebral Palsy spastic hemiplegia that there are options available to greatly improve your child’s quality of life. SDR Surgery isn’t available in Australia for Archie which is why we need to travel to Dr Park in America. We’ve met many other families that are in a similar situation to us. We feel that by creating awareness and sharing our story we can help others navigate through the unknowns and hopefully make SDR Surgery a common procedure and accessible to all for a fraction of the cost. We’ve included videos of Archie from each year of his life and will also add videos of Archie as he progresses after the surgeries with the hope that it will help other people identify commonalities with their own Cerebral Palsy and see the benefits the surgeries can provide.
The total costs exceed $100,000 so we are relying on savings to cover travel and accommodation in St Louis for the 4 weeks we need to be in America. With that said, if we are fortunate enough to reach our goal, any funds received in excess of $84,093 will be donated to Cerebral Palsy Alliance. They have provided much needed support to Archie over the years and provide an excellent service to all living with Cerebral Palsy and other neurological and physical disabilities.
We would be forever grateful if you were able to donate and share our story with your family and friends.
Organizer and beneficiary
Sophie Chivers
Organizer
Canada Bay, NSW
Andrew Gallagher
Beneficiary