One leg in legend
Little William’s crusade to run with his mates
LITTLE William Dickinson chases his friends round the park, dragging the brace on his leg to get in on the action.
The three-year-old fractured his brittle lower leg at seven months while learning to roll and it hasn’t healed.
It never will – until his family coughs up $185,000 for a specialist surgeon in the US. If they can’t, his leg will be amputated as the surgery is not available in Australia.
William’s family did not know it at the time but he has congenital pseudarthrosis, a rare disorder where his leg bones are weak.
“He always says he wants to walk with his friends – I’ll do everything I can to give him that opportunity,” mother Aimee Dickinson said.
Following two surgeries from 17 months of age the bones in William’s leg would not heal. Doctors suggested amputating the leg during a consultation at a rehabilitation clinic. “I just burst into tears, that’s not an option,” said Ms Dickinson.
Desperate for her son to walk properly Ms Dickinson learned of Floridian Dr Dror Paley who claims to have treated more than 150 children with the same or similar conditions as William.
Dr Paley uses bone marrow transplants to heal bones affected by congenital pseudarthrosis which is estimated to occur in one in 250,000 births.
The surgeon has successfully treated other Australian children, including a Palm Beach girl in 2011. “Because I’ve spoken to three other Australian families who have raised money and had success there, I’m determined to get there,” she said.
Ms Dickinson has raised $20,500 in three months through sausage sizzles, renting out rooms in her home to students and crowd-funding.
“I’m scared, it’s a six-tonine-hour surgery. But what else am I going to do? The end result is he’s going to be able to walk, he’s going to be able to keep his leg and walk.”