Six-year-old Samuel Day is recovering from his second round of hip surgery this year – and a specialist standing frame is key to his progress.
With local statutory services unable to provide what he needed when he needed it, his family contacted Newlife Foundation for Disabled Children for help. A week later the charity delivered the equipment – and with a lot of hard work and perseverance the plan is to get Samuel, who has Cerebral Palsy, walking again.
Mum Katie Day, from Wincanton in Somerset, explains: “Before his first surgery back in February, Samuel was doing really well in his walker. Now, following his most recent surgery in September, he is on the slow road to recovery but it is too painful to try to walk. To help his posture and get his muscle strength back he needed to be standing, post-op, as soon as possible – which is where Newlife came in, with the fully adjustable standing frame.
“It is definitely the most comfortable stander he has ever had – it has lots of additional padding and we can adjust every single part of it to suit his specific needs. Samuel is gradually increasing his time in the stander and the goal is to get him back into his walking frame so he can use it at school in the playground with all his friends.”
Newlife Foundation is the UK’s largest charity provider of specialist equipment for children with disabilities and terminal illness and has helped 201 under-19s in Somerset with equipment totalling £253,939. Newlife supports families through equipment grants and loans, accessed through its Nurse Helpline – 0800 902 0095 (free from UK landlines and mobiles).
For further details about how Newlife supports children in the county, go to: www.newlifecharity.co.uk/somerset. You can donate to the Newlife Somerset County Fund through the website, or alternatively, contact the Newlife County Liaison Team on 01543 431 444, email local@newlifecharity.co.uk.
Newlife is currently working with another nine families in Somerset with equipment needs totalling £5,020. Newlife CEO Sheila Brown, OBE, said: “Public support has never been needed more. I know this is a busy time for families as they start thinking about the festive season, but I am urging people to spare a minute to consider how they could help improve a disabled child’s life this Christmas.”
She added: “For many, the right equipment at the right time not only relieves pain and isolation, it helps prevent long-term deterioration and enables children to make the most of life’s opportunities. In some cases, the equipment we provide means that children can be discharged home from hospital and into the care of their families. For others, having a hi-tech wheelchair means they can continue with their education or specialist supportive seating gets them out of bed and back at the heart of family life.”
Pictured: Samuel Day
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