My Perthes Warrior

Let me tell you about Micah. He was your typical 8 year old running around with his friends in the playground, never without a football either at his feet or tucked under his arm. All that changed quite suddenly in March of this year.

Micah started complaining of pains in his thigh which after a long arduous journey of doctors and hospital appointments we finally got a diagnosis - Legg Calve Perthes disease. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/legg-calve-perthes-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20374343 This means that his femoral head is basically disintegrating which causes a lot of pain and discomfort.

At this stage he his in phase 2 of the disease and has a leg brace (to keep the bone in position)
While the doctors here have been great with us financially it has been a struggle. Everything we have done so far has been paid for privately since believe it or not we are still waiting for an emergency appointment from the government-run hospital system.

We will use the money for ongoing treatment, consultations and pay back the loan we had to take for his wheelchair, crutches and leg brace. Not only this but i would like to use some of the money to raise awareness about this disease and get other children like Micah the treatment and support they and their families so desperately need.

We don't know what the future holds for Micah at this stage but he is a warrior and never complains we are so proud of him and the way he is handling this disease. We would be grateful beyond words for any donations regardless of the size.

I have already spoken to a lawyer and i'm looking into starting up a charity for Legg Calve Perthes disease sufferers and their families here in Portugal any excess funds will be used to that end.

Thank you so much in advance for your generosity in helping our Perthes warrior and others like him along the way to recovery.

*A note to parents or caregivers:
If your child complains of any kind of pain in the thigh area and starts to develop a limp please please get them checked by a pediatrician immediately! Mention Legg Calve Perthes disease to the medical professionals and make sure they rule it out.
They say this is a rare disease but after being through what we have and speaking to other parents, I'm convinced it's not so rare but more often misdiagnosed.