A SEVEN-year-old boy has become the first person in the country to undergo pioneering microsurgery which could enable children with cerebral palsy to walk.
Beau Britton's mum Tracy said the operation has given her son a "second chance" at a normal life.
She hopes it will one day mean he will walk without a wheelchair or walking frame.
Born prematurely weighing only 2lb 12oz, Beau suffered brain damage which has severely affected movement in his legs.
His life has changed dramatically since the neurosurgical procedure on his spine at Frenchay Hospital, Bristol, three weeks ago.
If they had not received the operation on the NHS, Tracy said the family faced having to raise £40,000 to take Beau to America.
The method, called selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR), involves dividing some of the nerves as they enter the spinal cord to free up constricting muscles.
Tracy, of Kelly Bray, near Callington, said: "We feel we have been so lucky to be in the right place at the right time.
"Kristian Aquilina, the neurosurgeon, has given Beau a second chance, a chance of a more normal life – which is priceless.
"We would love Beau to do some of the things other children take for granted – to wear wellies and splash in the puddles and to go to the beach and wear flip flops.
"It would be wonderful to take him skiing and we would love him to be able to experience the freedom of independent movement and if ever possible, to dance."
Cerebral palsy, often caused by premature birth, affects brain and nervous system functions such as movement, learning, hearing, seeing, and thinking.
Since having the SDR operation, Beau has undergone a two-week period of intensive physiotherapy at Frenchay.
He will have to take part in a long-term programme of daily physiotherapy for at least two years.
The family returned home from Bristol this week.
Tracy said: "We know this is a long-term thing and we are fully prepared for that.
"My ultimate aim is for Beau to walk without his wheelchair or walking frame but that is a long time off and it is difficult to think that far ahead at the moment.
"What has amazed me are some of the instant effects."
She said he is not waking up with cramps at night due to spasticity anymore, something which caused major sleep deprivation for the family over the last seven years.
"Also his cerebral palsy meant that his legs were crossed and his feet were planted on top of each other," said Tracy. "They are now straight and getting him dressed is so much easier because his overall balance has improved so much.
"He was sitting on the sofa the other day and started dangling his legs over the edge – this may sound like a really small thing but he has never been able to do this before. He can also wriggle his toes."
Beau has already undergone extensive orthopaedic surgery on both legs and hips and without SDR this would be ongoing his whole life.
Tracy paid special thanks to staff at Frenchay and Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly PCT.
Beau's story will be featured as part of a BBC Inside Out West documentary at 7.30pm on Monday, June 20.
source: thisisplymouth.co.uk
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