Mason's Mission to Walk!
Donation protected
Meet Mason. Mason is your typical 4 year old boy who is obsessed with sports (especially baseball and hockey Go Jets Go!). Mason has the biggest heart and lights up a room everywhere he goes.

Mason was born 3 months premature and had a lengthy stay in the NICU. Upon release there were no major issues with his health and therefore it was a big shock to learn that he showed signs of muscles stiffness as a baby which was officially diagnosed as cerebral palsy when he was 18 months old.
Mason has spastic diplegia, which is a type of cerebral palsy that causes muscle stiffness affecting mainly his legs. Believe it or not, when you see him you would think that his legs are the problem, but the reality is that it is actually his brain that is damaged and not his legs. The part of the brain that communicates to the legs to relax is damaged. For this reason, he requires a walker to get around, is unable to stand unassisted and simple daily tasks are a constant struggle for him. He currently receives botox injections in his legs to relieve some of the spatisicity however these are temporary and painful. Without surgery, these injections would be required for life.
Although cerebral palsy is something Mason will have his entire life, there are things out there that will help increase his quality of life, one of which is surgery.

Why we Need Your Help
After submitting all the necessary x-rays, MRIs, videos etc. of Mason, we were excited to learn that he was accepted by Dr. T.S. Park of St Louis Children's Hospital as an excellent candidate for SDR (Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy) surgery. Early selective dorsal rhizotomy, at 2-4 years of age, can prevent the development of deformities. For this reason early surgery is favored.
Dr. Park predicts that with this surgery:
- Mason will be able to walk independently!!!
- His Spasticity will be permanently reduced
- His sitting and standing postures will improve
- His transitions between postures will be easier and faster
- His balance and level of comfort will improve
Other benefits beyond just the physical advantages are:
- Toilet training will become easier
- Easier time dressing himself
- Reduce his chronic constipation
- No more painful botox injections
- Increased confidence and quality of life!
We are very excited about what this means for Mason's future. Our only obstacle now is raising the money since it is not covered by insurance.
WHAT WE NEED
The total costs ($90, 000) will be for the surgery, travel costs and lodging (we will be in St. Louis one week before and three weeks after surgery for rehabilitation), and the year following will require intense Physical Therapy with a registered PT.

Why St.Louis?
Having done extensive surgery we discovered Dr T.S Park who pioneered the single level laminectomy SDR at the St Louis Children's Hospital. People world wide seek him out and his expertise as he is the only doctor who has fully dedicated his practice to this surgery with a resume of close to 4000 surgeries to date.
SDR involves surgically entering the spine to remove a portion of one vertebrae and stimulating the nerves to determine which are causing the muscle tightness associated with Cerebral Palsy. Those nerves are then cut, essentially removing the spasticity.
As parents, we want the best for Mason and that means seeking out the best doctors to perform such a major surgery. This is why we know in our hearts that Dr. Park is the person we want to put our childs future in.
For more information about SDR, check out the following link
http://www.stlouischildrens.org/our-services/center-cerebral-palsy-spasticity/about-selective-dorsal-rhizotomy-sdr
Connect with us on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/Masons-Mission-840551852809732/
Breakdown of Costs:
SDR Surgery approx. $53,000 CAD
PERCS Surgery (approx. 11,000 - $17,000CAD)
Accommodations (one month) & Travel $8,000
1 year Post-Op Therapy (in Canada) $13,000
Approx. Total $90,000
Mason was born 3 months premature and had a lengthy stay in the NICU. Upon release there were no major issues with his health and therefore it was a big shock to learn that he showed signs of muscles stiffness as a baby which was officially diagnosed as cerebral palsy when he was 18 months old.
Mason has spastic diplegia, which is a type of cerebral palsy that causes muscle stiffness affecting mainly his legs. Believe it or not, when you see him you would think that his legs are the problem, but the reality is that it is actually his brain that is damaged and not his legs. The part of the brain that communicates to the legs to relax is damaged. For this reason, he requires a walker to get around, is unable to stand unassisted and simple daily tasks are a constant struggle for him. He currently receives botox injections in his legs to relieve some of the spatisicity however these are temporary and painful. Without surgery, these injections would be required for life.
Although cerebral palsy is something Mason will have his entire life, there are things out there that will help increase his quality of life, one of which is surgery.
Why we Need Your Help
After submitting all the necessary x-rays, MRIs, videos etc. of Mason, we were excited to learn that he was accepted by Dr. T.S. Park of St Louis Children's Hospital as an excellent candidate for SDR (Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy) surgery. Early selective dorsal rhizotomy, at 2-4 years of age, can prevent the development of deformities. For this reason early surgery is favored.
Dr. Park predicts that with this surgery:
- Mason will be able to walk independently!!!
- His Spasticity will be permanently reduced
- His sitting and standing postures will improve
- His transitions between postures will be easier and faster
- His balance and level of comfort will improve
Other benefits beyond just the physical advantages are:
- Toilet training will become easier
- Easier time dressing himself
- Reduce his chronic constipation
- No more painful botox injections
- Increased confidence and quality of life!
We are very excited about what this means for Mason's future. Our only obstacle now is raising the money since it is not covered by insurance.
WHAT WE NEED
The total costs ($90, 000) will be for the surgery, travel costs and lodging (we will be in St. Louis one week before and three weeks after surgery for rehabilitation), and the year following will require intense Physical Therapy with a registered PT.
Why St.Louis?
Having done extensive surgery we discovered Dr T.S Park who pioneered the single level laminectomy SDR at the St Louis Children's Hospital. People world wide seek him out and his expertise as he is the only doctor who has fully dedicated his practice to this surgery with a resume of close to 4000 surgeries to date.
SDR involves surgically entering the spine to remove a portion of one vertebrae and stimulating the nerves to determine which are causing the muscle tightness associated with Cerebral Palsy. Those nerves are then cut, essentially removing the spasticity.
As parents, we want the best for Mason and that means seeking out the best doctors to perform such a major surgery. This is why we know in our hearts that Dr. Park is the person we want to put our childs future in.
For more information about SDR, check out the following link
http://www.stlouischildrens.org/our-services/center-cerebral-palsy-spasticity/about-selective-dorsal-rhizotomy-sdr
Connect with us on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/Masons-Mission-840551852809732/
Breakdown of Costs:
SDR Surgery approx. $53,000 CAD
PERCS Surgery (approx. 11,000 - $17,000CAD)
Accommodations (one month) & Travel $8,000
1 year Post-Op Therapy (in Canada) $13,000
Approx. Total $90,000
Organizer
Mason Ehmann's Mission
Organizer
Southeastern Manitoba , MB
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