Friends, family and colleagues raised £ 40,000 for a potentially life-changing operation.
An eight-year-old boy from Norwich will be able to undergo a potential change in his life thanks to fundraising.
Kaiden was born three months earlier and has a brain palpation, which limits the control he has over his arms and legs.
Despite all the odds, Kaiden has overcome many challenges in his short life so far, but unfortunately he did not qualify for NHS funding for an operation that could help him go even further.
His mother, Michelle Freeman, said: “He is such a happy, smiling little boy.
“He who knows him just loves him.”
Kaiden’s parents found that an operation called Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR) could help their son make even more progress.
This involved cutting the nerves around Kaiden’s spinal cord to reduce muscle tension and improve his range of motion and functional mobility – which could make him more independent.
Michelle, who is also the mother of her daughter Alexi, adds: “It’s a big operation, so we took the time to consider whether it’s appropriate for Kaiden.
“However, our dedicated team of consultants and physiotherapists at Alderhey Children’s Hospital has agreed that he will make a very good candidate and give the green light for the procedure, which will take place later this year.
Unfortunately for Michelle and Gavin, Kayden did not meet the right criteria for the operation to be funded by the NHS because the severity of his cerebral palsy was too high.
This meant that Michelle and her family had to finance everything themselves, as well as all the costs associated with Kaiden’s follow-up care, including physiotherapy, hydrotherapy, strengthening therapy and specialized equipment.
This resulted in a total cost of up to £ 40,000.
People quickly gathered behind Kaiden, although with friends and family they showed their support and quickly raised £ 11,130. Read also : Airborne and In-Orbit Communications Leader CesiumAstro, Inc. Readies for First Mission to Launch; Company Wins Swath of Commercial Milestones.
And Michelle’s colleagues at CarShop also stepped up without thinking.
Not only did Michelle’s colleagues donate to the fundraiser, the company’s CEO encouraged the stores to organize fundraising events and offered to match all the money raised by employees.
There were small events such as “chocolate Fridays” where employees could be pampered with money donated to the pot.
As a result, CarShop managed to raise a total of 14,064 British pounds, which by coincidence reached just over 28,000 British pounds.
Once added to the amount on Kaiden’s fundraising page, they were reduced by just £ 739 of the total amount needed for the operation.
So CarShop rounded up the amount they contributed to reach a total of £ 40,000.
CarShop CEO Nigel Hurley said: “When we heard what Michelle and her family were going through, we knew we wanted to help. We are a family in CarShop – and when one person needs it, everyone comes together.
“During this time, everyone learned about Kaiden, his courage and his unwaveringly positive outlook on life – in fact, he became quite famous for it!”
“That’s why I couldn’t be happier that this special boy can now get the life-changing operation he needs to live a happy, successful and independent life.”
Michelle added: “Gavin and I are completely crushed. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who has given up their time or donated their hard-earned money to ensure that our Kaiden has the life he deserves – my brilliant family and friends, my exceptional colleagues and everyone else who have done this they could.
“Thank you also for helping us raise awareness of this severe form of cerebral palsy. There are so many others – just like Kaiden – who could benefit from this SDR operation and either do not know about it or it is not available to them due to financial constraints, so please help us spread the word again. . “
Comments are closed.