We are taking on the Jurassic Coast Ultra Challenge on Saturday 17th May 2025 and hoping to raise some money for Arlo!

Arlo was born at 25 weeks back in 2022, weighing just 940 grams and had a very difficult start to life. He spent 98 days in the NICU with multiple bumps along the road. At 10 days old he developed sepsis, then E.coli-meningitis, then hydrocephalus, multiple blood transfusions, infections, level 2 ROP, a large cerebellar haemorrhage and brain surgery all before he was 4 weeks old. He needed a ventricular access device fitted into his brain quickly to relieve the pressure however due to the cerebral haemorrhage it put him at great risk of bleeding out. The surgery went ahead as planned and his parents took him home 8 weeks later!

Arlo was diagnosed in November 2023 with Cerebral Palsy, and his parents have been doing everything in their power to give him the best start to life ever since!

They are fundraising for specialist, intensive physiotherapy called DMI (Dynamic Movement Intervention) DMI combines techniques to accelerate the improvement of gross motor skills, alignment, postural control, range of motion, and balance with the overall result to improve and progress functional movements such as rolling, sitting, standing and walking.

His parents took Arlo to America in September 2024 for his first 2 week intensive which involved 2 hours of physio a day and the improvements they've seen are more than they could ever have imagined and have changed Arlo’s life in the most positive way. Before they went, he was still struggling with head control and was unable to sit up unassisted. They came away from those 2 weeks with a little boy who could hold his head up, get himself up into a sitting position on his own and is now trying to stand with assistance.

They have continued to see a physio at home on a weekly basis and have an extensive home program in order to keep his progress moving along. They are just about to embark on his 2nd intensive in London in March which is 4 hours of physio a day for 3 weeks. They cannot wait to see the changes; Arlo is so much stronger this time around and has such determination to hone his new skills!

Arlo has Cerebral Palsy, hydrocephalus, scoliosis, cerebral vision impairment and significant developmental delays. But they try to focus on what he CAN do… and more importantly the things they know he can achieve with the right support. Which is EVERYTHING!

The cost of a block on intensive therapy is £7,500 a time, weekly physio sessions are £4,500 a year and all the specialist equipment he needs are an ongoing cost for likely most of his childhood. It is hard to ask for help, but we have faith and continue to believe we are doing the right thing to give Arlo the best start in life!