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MUM’S CHRISTMAS WISH COMES TRUE

Mum Jayne Randle-Blyth’s Christmas wish has come true – her eight-year-old son Joseph is getting a specialist seat to support his hips to help reduce the need for life-threatening corrective surgery.

Joseph Randles-Blyth, from Hoole in Chester, has a complex condition including Cerebral Palsy and Cystic Fibrosis, which affect movement and co-ordination and the lungs and digestive system respectively. He is also fed through a tube in his stomach.

Mum Jayne Randles-Blyth said: “Joseph’s hips are both dislocated and he ‘extends’ quite a lot (muscle stiffness). Because of this he would normally have had corrective surgery by now but because of the additional condition of Cystic Fibrosis it would be a life-threatening operation. So everything we do is aimed at supporting his posture so we don’t have to go down the surgery route.”

Joseph uses a wheelchair to get around during the day and has a special mattress to sleep on. What he urgently needed was a new specialist chair to provide the correct postural support when he is sitting around at home.

Joseph has had an opportunity to trial one of the chairs. Jayne said: “He looked so comfortable in it, it was amazing, and his occupational therapist thinks it is perfect for him. The chair is multi-functional and can be adjusted to meet his needs as they change.

“As a parent I just wished I could take it home with us there and then.”

However, with the seating costing £3,305 and no funding available from statutory services, the family contacted Newlife charity for help.

Newlife is the UK’s largest charity provider of specialist equipment for children with disabilities and terminal illness.

Now, with just a few days to go before Christmas, Jayne and her husband have been given the good news that the seating will be delivered in the New Year.

Joseph is the latest of 429 children in Cheshire who have collectively received equipment totalling £553,221. To find out more about how Newlife supports children across the county, go to www.newlifecharity.co.uk/cheshire. Alternatively, the Newlife County Liaison Team can be contacted on 01543 431 444, email local@newlifecharity.co.uk.

Newlife is currently working with a further 24 families in Cheshire with equipment needs totalling £40,884. If you think you could help children in the county, go to the website and click on the Donate button.

Pictured: Joseph Randles-Blyth

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