Kids go crazy with colour to aid Blaise

Topics: blaise wyatt, cerebral palsy, let's get blaise to michigan

TALKING and chewing are abilities taken for granted by most, but for Blaise Wyatt it is a milestone now achievable thanks to the generosity of the community.

Two weeks ago the Wyatt family faced sacrificing vital speech therapy for their son, who has a cruel form of cerebral palsy, when their budget fell $5000 short of the $40,000 needed to undergo treatment in the United States.

A crazy hair day fundraiser at Ipswich Kindergarten to celebrate Blaise's fifth birthday on Tuesday raised more than $600 for the Let's Get Blaise to Michigan campaign.

The contribution by families and organisations, which is on target to reaching $5000, has left mum Dawn Wyatt overwhelmed.

The Silkstone family will travel to Michigan Paediatric Fitness Centre in Keego Harbour, a small town north of Detroit, on Wednesday where their Blaise will undergo 180 hours of therapy not available in Australia.

"I feel relief," Mrs Wyatt said. "If we didn't raise the last $5000 we wouldn't be able to give Blaise the speech therapy, which would help him to speak, chew and eat."

The focus of the treatment is 90 hours of cutting-edge TheraSuit therapy, using an orthotic suit.

Yesterday, marked two years since Blaise first used the technology which has enabled him to sit upright, something the family was told he would never be able to do.

"I am hoping it is going to completely wake up his right arm," Mrs Wyatt said. "Once he gets his right arm working it will mean pulling up, standing up, holding on to a walker."

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Kids go crazy with colour to aid Blaise