The inspirational six-year-old boy with cerebral palsy who is his local football club’s mascot this weekend – Manchester Evening News

The parents of an six-year-old boy with cerebral palsy say he has defied the odds to achieve what he has since being born prematurely.

When Oscar Whalley-Michell was born in March 2014, at 27 weeks old, he suffered from two heart conditions and was the smallest baby at the time to be fitted with a pacemaker at Alder Hey hospital in Liverpool.

Oscar, from Whalley Range, also suffers from cerebral palsy as a result of complications at birth, which affects his mobility and means he has to use a wheelchair.

While the condition affects his balance and posture, his parents, Simon and Dawn, say he has never let the condition stop him from reaching his goals.

Oscar goes to a mainstream school and is cognitively as bright as a button but the cerebral palsy affects the physical side of things for him, dad Simon, 42, tells the Manchester Evening News.

Cerebral palsy can have an impact on the four major limbs and in Oscars case, it mostly affects his legs and his right arm.

He always has to work a little harder than others at school, but he always does it without ever complaining.

Oscars parents are now working hard to raise the funds needed for a life-changing operation called selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) that would improve his quality of life.

The procedure would help correct the spasticity of Oscars muscles by cutting the nerves in the spinal cord but comes with a hefty price tag and a time limit.

Oscar is fast approaching the perfect window for the operation, Steve adds.

They recommend the operation take place up to the age of ten as otherwise the muscles will get too big and tighten too much for it to be a viable option.

We dont expect him to just be able to get up and walk - hell always need some kind of assistance with walking but what it will do is make it easier for him to get by with a walking frame and make his chances of living an independent life in the future more achievable.

Hopefully the procedure will mean hell be able to transfer in and out of his wheelchair on his own and wont need to be as reliant on others.

"Its about giving him the best chance to be independent and being the best he can possible be - its what any parent would want for their child.

The procedure will also require at least two years of intensive physiotherapy afterwards, which will ideally need to be finished before Oscar reaches ten.

His parents are aiming to raise 65k to cover the costs of the procedure and the physiotherapy and have already reached the halfway point of their goal.

To head towards the target, family members and friends have been doing their own fundraisers including a 24-hour virtual rave and marathon walks.

Speaking about the procedure, Simon says his son is positive about how it could help him.

As a family, weve always been very open about things with each other, he says.

Hes looking forward to the ability to play out properly with his friends and maybe go round the playground in his walking frame.

This weekend, Oscar will fulfill one of his ambitions by appearing as a match day mascot for a football club.

Oscar and his dad are both Aston Villa season ticket holders but since lockdown, the pair have been able to enjoy football games a little closer to home and have become big fans of West Didsbury and Chorlton Football Club.

Weve been down a few times to watch West play over the last couple of years and decided to get season tickets this year so that we could enjoy a bit of football when were able to, Simon adds.

The club has been really supportive of us. It was raining at the last match and they found space for Oscar under the veranda so he didnt get wet while in his wheelchair.

I emailed them to thank them for being so accommodating and the chairman asked if hed like to be a mascot for an upcoming game.

The club will be taking donations for Oscars fundraiser during the match and say they have been inspired by his story.

Its been a pleasure getting to know Oscar and his dad in recent weeks," WestDidsbury& Chorlton AFC chairman Robert Madden said.

"Its great to see them enjoyingWestgames ever since fans have been allowed back in to watch.

Oscar has done amazingly to raise the amount of money he has over the summer, and all of us at the club now hope to help him get close to the magical 65k mark.

"Players, fans and officials will be digging into their pockets this weekend, and we all cant wait to see him lead out the teams on Saturday.

Simon said Oscar was 'extremely excited' when he found out he would be leading out the local club as as he is so obsessed with football.

He wants to play football when he grows up, the proud dad admits.

Whos to say he wont be able to do it when hes older, whether thats in wheelchair football or frame football?

"He was born very early and very small but hes fought a lot to get to where he is today and has a real can-do attitude.

"If anybodys gonna do it, he will."

You can donate to Oscar's fundraiser here.

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The inspirational six-year-old boy with cerebral palsy who is his local football club's mascot this weekend - Manchester Evening News