STRONG Aiden Farrell has overcome illness to see a new chance to receive life-changing surgery that may help him walk for years to come.
Aiden, three, suffers from cerebral palsy and needs Botox injections to loosen his leg muscles to help him walk and ease the chronic pain he suffers.
As previously reported in The News, Aiden had been making progress after receiving his first injections in December but a series of chest infections and a diagnosis of epilepsy had stopped him in his progress.
But having now recovered, he has been walking around his playschool with the help of a walking frame.
The youngster will head to Bristol in June with mum Sara, 31, of Grange Crescent in Gosport, where he will be assessed for an operation called selective dorsal rhizotomy, which may be in part or entirely funded by the NHS.
It will see surgeons remove the nerves that are causing Aiden’s leg muscles to tighten and will mean he would not need further Botox injections.
Sara said she believes the operation will mean he will be able to join in activities with his brothers and sisters.
She said: ‘It is a life-changing operation – a lot of children who walk aided, after the operation they can walk unaided.
‘He won’t be in any pain or have the tightness in his legs.
‘For me as a parent it’s about getting to see him walking unaided and being able to kick a ball, and do what the others do.
‘He watches the other children and it’s not so bad while he’s so young but as he gets older my fear is the day he recognises he’s different from other children.’
Sara and husband Gevun, a builder, have spent some of the donated cash on building materials to widen the lounge in Aiden’s home.
It had been too small for him to walk around using his walker and meant Sara could see him walk at nursery but not at home.
She said: ‘For me it’s upsetting that he can walk everywhere but home.
‘He crawls round at home following the others where he’d be able to walk with them at home with this. It makes sense for him to be able to walk round his home.’
Community groups and readers of The News have raised more than £7,000 for Aiden, following an appeal.
The cash was originally for the Botox treatment but the NHS agreed to fund it.
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