Category Archives: Cerebral Palsy Treatment

US surgery: Ollie Lanham, 2, with his mother Angela Patch and brother Elliot, 6. Photo: Matt Bedford Ollie Lanham grins and giggles as he chases his older siblings Elliott and Millie around the garden of their Hughes home, using his walker to steady his uncertain steps. The two-year-old has cerebral palsy and has only taken four completely unaided steps on his own. Ollie will soon have surgery in the United States, which his parents, Angela Patch and Mark Lanham, hope will give him the chance to run, walk and even ride a bike on his own. Ollie Lanham, 2, with his parents Mark Lanham and Angela Patch and brother Elliot, 6. Photo: Matt Bedford He will have the procedure, known as selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR), at St Louis Children's Hospital, Missouri, in December. Advertisement The operation has been shown to permanently reduce spasticity in children with cerebral palsy, improving their sitting, balance and mobility. Ollie's cerebral palsy was due to congenital cytomegalovirus, which also left him profoundly deaf in his left ear. His mum said he frequently has to travel to Sydney for treatment and has botox injections into his legs and hips to reduce his spasticity and help him … Continue reading →

A disabled teenager is suing the trust that runs New Cross Hospital for millions of pounds in damages over "appalling" errors during her birth. The 14 year old developed cerebral palsy and debilitating mental difficulties after problems arose during her delivery at New Cross in 2000. She will need 24-hour care for the rest of her life. Through her mother, the teenager has launched a multi-million-pound legal action against Royal Wolverhampton Hospital NHS Trust, which is also facing a 325,000 claim from a woman who was sent home after a drunken fall in the street but readmitted in a coma the following day. The girl's lawyers claim that her birth was negligently handled. A three-week High Court hearing in London heard yesterday that her delivery involved "appalling management of an obstetric emergency". But the trust contends that, while it breached its duty of care in some respects, this did not cause the girl's devastating injuries. The girl's mother was rushed to hospital by her partner at 11.25pm on August 22, 2000. She was suffering from a placental abruption - an acutely painful condition where the placental lining becomes separated from the uterus. She gave birth at 12.40am and lawyers for … Continue reading →

EXTRA MILE: Kerianne Strachan, left, with her son Cam Armishaw, who has stage four Hodgkins lymphoma. Kerianne Strachan has risen to the challenges of raising a son with cerebral palsy and losing the father of her children. Now, with another son battling Hodgkin's lymphoma, the Canterbury mother still says her glass is half full. "I'm a pretty positive person. You have got to do what you have got to do," Strachan said. Her day starts at 8am when her first job is to give Cam, 16, his morning injection as part of his cancer treatment. She then helps get her 15-year-old son, Leath, who has cerebral palsy, out of bed, dressed and fed. Life has changed a lot for Strachan in the past few years. The father of her two sons died in an accident in March 2010, and Cam was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in August this year. "That came as a huge surprise," she said. "He was just your average teenager - he loved playing rugby, hanging out with his mates and his girlfriend of two years, Alicia, and was working part time at McDonalds, saving for a car." A lump on Cam's neck caused alarm. A doctor … Continue reading →

Gino D'Acampo has donated almost 10,000 to a young boy with cerebral palsy[ITV2] The Italian star has decided to help three-year-old Ollie Dodds, from Lichfield, who suffers from spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy which prevents him from walking, standing and even sitting up straight. After researching the condition, Ollie's parents Hayley Smith and James Dodds discovered Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR) treatment, which can benefit children with cerebral palsy. Unfortunately, the 36,000 procedure is not funded by the NHS which left Hayley, 23, and James, 31, with a huge bill to help transform their son's life. The couple decided to launch the Operation Ollie appeal to find 50,000 to pay for the treatment as well as travel costs to St Louis Children's Hospital in Missouri in the US which specialises in SDR. Hayley Smith and James Dodd with their three-year-old son Ollie [BPM MEDIA] We went to Bolton Food Festival where he was giving a cookery class to thank him in person. He was such a nice guy, very genuine and made time for us Hayley Smith The former I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here contestant pledged 5,000 to the appeal a few weeks ago and followed it up with … Continue reading →

TV chef Gino DAcampo has donated almost 10,000 to help a Midland couple fund an operation that could enable their disabled son to walk. Three-year-old Ollie Dodds, from Lichfield, suffers from spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy which prevents him from walking, standing and even sitting up straight. After researching the condition, Ollies parents Hayley Smith and James Dodds discovered Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR) treatment, which can benefit children with cerebral palsy. Gino D'Acampo in the Citrus groves of the Amalfi Coast The 36,000 procedure is not funded by the NHS leaving Hayley, 23, and James, 31, with a huge bill to help transform their sons life. They launched the Operation Ollie appeal to find 50,000 to pay for the treatment as well as travel costs to St Louis Childrens Hospital in Missouri, USA, which specialises in SDR. Italian celebrity Gino, a regular on ITVs This Morning, pledged 5,000 to the appeal a few weeks ago and followed it up with a donation of 4,250 earlier this month. Its very touching, said Hayley. We have just been amazed by his generosity. We went to Bolton Food Festival where he was giving a cookery class to thank him in person. Read the original: … Continue reading →

SCOTT Brown couldve been forgiven for having his head in the clouds after his man-of-the-match performance against Georgia. But in the immediate aftermath of Saturdays crucial victory at Ibrox, the Scotland skipper showed he has a heart of gold. As the Celtic star joined in the after match celebrations his eyes fell on an awestruck young lad cheering from the sidelines. Eight-year-old Finlay Sangster was savouring the atmosphere of his first ever Scotland game, and it was about to get a whole lot better. Instead of basking in the glory Brown broke away from the back-slapping, removed his international jersey and handed it to gobsmacked Finlay. Brown had met Finlay, who has cerebral palsy, on the eve of the match at an open training session organised by the SFA and their chosen charity Bobath Scotland. Glasgow-based Bobath offer hope for cerebral palsy children by providing crucial therapy but their existence depends on public donations. After nearly missing out on the meet and greet day because his email invite went into his mums spam bin, Finlay got a late call-up after a cancellation. Mum Gail, of Stonehaven, Kincardineshire, said: Bobath has been the SFAs chosen charity for the last two years … Continue reading →

By PATRICK WHITTLE Associated Press MECHANIC FALLS, Maine (AP) - A Halloween-themed hayride loaded with passengers crashed down a hill in the Maine woods and slammed into a tree, fatally injuring a teenage girl and leaving more than 20 other people hurt, police said Sunday. Seventeen-year-old Cassidy Charette of Oakland died from her injuries after the Gauntlet Haunted Night Ride wagon overturned Saturday night at a rural farm in Mechanic Falls, authorities said. The crash "threw everyone off the trailer and into each other and into trees," said Sgt. Joel Davis of the state fire marshal's office. He said a mechanical problem prevented the SUV pulling the wagon from stopping. Several actors participating in the ride's scenes assisted the injured riders - including some performing CPR - and likely helped prevent the accident from being even worse, Davis said. About a half-dozen of those hurt remained hospitalized Sunday afternoon but their injuries did not appear life-threatening, Davis said. Charette was among a group of friends who visit Harvest Hills Farm every fall, Davis said. One of her fellow students at Messalonskee High School, 16-year-old Connor Garland of Belgrade, was being treated at Boston Children's Hospital, state police spokesman Steve McCausland … Continue reading →

By PATRICK WHITTLE Associated Press MECHANIC FALLS, Maine (AP) - A Halloween-themed hayride loaded with passengers crashed down a hill in the Maine woods and slammed into a tree, fatally injuring a teenage girl and leaving more than 20 other people hurt, police said Sunday. Seventeen-year-old Cassidy Charette of Oakland died from her injuries after the Gauntlet Haunted Night Ride wagon overturned Saturday night at a rural farm in Mechanic Falls, authorities said. The crash "threw everyone off the trailer and into each other and into trees," said Sgt. Joel Davis of the state fire marshal's office. He said a mechanical problem prevented the SUV pulling the wagon from stopping. Several actors participating in the ride's scenes assisted the injured riders - including some performing CPR - and likely helped prevent the accident from being even worse, Davis said. About a half-dozen of those hurt remained hospitalized Sunday afternoon but their injuries did not appear life-threatening, Davis said. Charette was among a group of friends who visit Harvest Hills Farm every fall, Davis said. One of her fellow students at Messalonskee High School, 16-year-old Connor Garland of Belgrade, was being treated at Boston Children's Hospital, state police spokesman Steve McCausland … Continue reading →

THURSDAY, Oct. 9, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- College athletes in contact sports such as football and soccer are more than twice as likely as other college athletes to carry a superbug known as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), new research finds. "This study shows that even outside of a full-scale outbreak, when athletes are healthy and there are no infections, there are still a substantial number of them who are colonized with these potentially harmful bacteria," said study co-author Natalia Jimenez-Truque, a research instructor with Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. MRSA causes skin and soft tissue infections, which often heal on their own or are easily treated. But invasive MRSA can cause hard-to-treat infections that can be fatal. Officials estimate that MRSA kills 18,000 people in the United States each year. In the past, MRSA was most known for causing infections in hospitals, where the patients' immune systems may be weakened. But in recent years, it has spread into the greater community, sometimes affecting athletes who come in contact with the germs on one another's skin on the field or in the locker room when they share towels. MRSA then "colonizes" their bodies and can develop into a serious infection … Continue reading →

(HealthDay News) -- Health professionals treating a substance abuser with a severe mental illness often aren't sure which problem to tackle first to reduce the risk of violence. A new study suggests that treating substance abuse at the outset is more likely to reduce violent acts by people with severe mental illness. "We were surprised to find that the severity of the patient's psychiatric symptoms was not the primary factor in predicting later aggression. Rather, the patient's substance abuse was the factor most closely associated with future aggression," study co-author Clara Bradizza, a senior research scientist at the University at Buffalo Research Institute on Addictions, said in a university news release. Most people with mental illness are not violent, but those with severe mental illness are more likely to commit violent acts than people in the general population, the researchers noted. They added that there is often a link between severe mental illness, substance abuse and violence. While some experts believe that treating symptoms of mental illness will reduce the risk of violence, this study found otherwise. The researchers followed nearly 300 patients for six months after their enrollment in an outpatient treatment program for both substance abuse and mental … Continue reading →