Flying high to achieve his dreams

Topics: blaise wyatt, cerebral palsy

BLAISE Wyatt turns five next month, just days before he embarks on his fifth round of intensive therapy in the United States.

The Silkstone youngster, who was diagnosed with spastic quadraplegic cerebral palsy at 10 months, will undergo 180 hours of treatment over six weeks at Michigan Paediatric Fitness Centre.

The therapy costs $40,000 including flights and accommodation for the Wyatt family, but has helped Blaise achieve milestones such as sitting upright.

Most recently he has learned to cuddle - a gesture which has brought much joy to his parents Dawn and Cameron.

"When he was diagnosed we were given a gut-wrenching outline of how life with this condition would be. He would never walk, never talk, never sit, be tube-fed through his belly, develop epilepsy and have a short life expectancy," Mrs Wyatt said.

"We decided to ignore all the challenges and simply help him grasp every opportunity there is."

Blaise received his first bout of TheraSuit therapy - a process requiring him to wear a special orthotic suit and offered only in the US and Europe - in 2012.

"He's not too far off being able to stand up, which means he will be able to use a walker," Mrs Wyatt said.

"His future is bright. It's a lot better than what they told us he would be."

See the rest here:
Flying high to achieve his dreams