Little Caleb making great strides as he battles with cerebral palsy
A PORTADOWN toddler who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy just a few months ago, has begun walking thanks to help from the Buddy Bear School in Dungannon.
Little Caleb Kerr (17 months) is now walking with the help of a frame, despite initial fears that he wouldn't be able to walk at all.
He attends the specialist school in Dungannon for children with cerebral palsy, which relies totally on voluntary donations,
His parents Nigel and Heather are so impressed with the help and support that they and Caleb have received from the Buddy Bear School, that they want to let as many people as possible know about it and ensure its continued survival.
Caleb's uncle, Alan McCrory, completed a sponsored 340-mile motorcycle ride from Leeds to Larne which raised 1,000 for the school, while Edenderry PS also recently handed over a cheque.
Caleb's dad Nigel, who played for Seagoe FC in the Mid-Ulster League for a number of years, said, "Caleb is really benefiting from the one-to-one, specialist therapy he gets at the Buddy Bear School. Conductive education focuses on retracking the messages to the brain to help him sit up and use his arms and legs.
"He has a poor sense of balance and his four limbs are affected, with his legs the main problem. We know he will never play football but our aim is to get him walking as normally as possible, to give him independence and a chance of a full life.
"He's such a lovely child, very bright with a great wee personality, and we are grateful that of all the types of cerebral palsy his (spastic quadriplegia) is not one of the worst."
Caleb, who has four older brothers and sisters and another new sibling on the way, was only officially diagnosed in September, although his parents had suspected from the age of seven months that something was wrong.
Said Nigel, "Caleb was seven months old when we noticed in the church creche that he couldn't sit up like the other children his age. He wasn't sleeping well either and had spasms in his legs.
"We met someone who said they thought it looked like cerebral palsy and when Heather typed it into the internet all the symptoms we had seen in Caleb came up."
The chance discovery of a leaflet on the Buddy Bear School in Dungannon led them to the charity where they have been receiving help and support since May.
After the initial shock of the diagnosis, the couple are now focusing on doing their best for their son. They have recently moved to a more suitable house near Loughgall and ensure that Caleb receives regular daily exercise for his muscles - which they were taught at the Buddy Bear School.
The toddler receives an hour a week of one-to-one therapy from teacher Miss Ildiko Veres, who was trained in conductive education at the world-famous Peto Institute in Budapest and has over 20 years' experience, but his parents say that ideally he should have three hours a week.
Brendan McConville, chairman of the Buddy Bear Trust and a former education officer with the Southern Education and Library Board, is starting a campaign to raise more funds for the school and keep it open.
He said, "There are thousands of children with cerebral palsy, many of whom could be helped by early intervention. It could make the difference between children being able to walk or spending their lives in a wheelchair.
"We need Rotary, Round Table, clubs and local firms and schools to support this local charity that has no professional fundraisers. Caleb gave his parents a real Christmas present when he showed them that he was well on his way to walking."
Mr McConville said parents of children with cerebral palsy are welcome to contact the school on 028 8775 2025. It is now closed for Christmas but will open in the New Year.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Portadown
Wednesday 23 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 8 C to 18 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 12 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: South east
