Many of you may know Carson Ward and his wonderful family. If you've had the opportunity to meet this 13-year-old, you would know that he's an exceptional young man, full of determination, having a positive outlook on life in spite of his struggles. Everyone loves Carson, his fun personality, and his quick wit. He is a joy to be around.

On March 28th, Carson will have Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy surgery at St. Louis Childrens Hospital. Carson has spastic cerebral palsy as a result of premature birth and Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome. As he grows, the muscles in his legs are becoming tighter. This spasticity causes damage to his joints and makes walking more difficult. The goal of this surgery is to reduce or eliminate spasticity in his legs.

It involves opening the back of one or more vertebrae in the lower spine to expose the spinal cord. Using electrophysiological monitoring, the neurosurgeon selectively cuts the sensory nerve fibers which send messages from leg muscles back to the spinal cord to reduce spasticity in the legs.

After surgery, Carson will participate in physical therapy four times a week to achieve the best results going forward.

Carson is one of my son’s best friends, and we love him like family. With any medical procedure comes BIG expenses, not only for the surgery, but all the other costs that are involved, such as co-pays, physical therapy, hotels, gas, and food. They would never directly ask for help, but there is clearly a need as this is one of many surgeries that Carson has had during his life time. I know all of us will be praying for Carson and his family in the days ahead, but this is an opportunity for you and I to show them how much we love them, lightening their load, helping with their expense during this stressful time in life.