Space tech’ allows giant leap for Tama

A cosmonaut suit is helping Tama Trueman take his first steps.

The five-year-old Taupo boy had trouble breathing soon after he was born and was later diagnosed with severe hypotonia [decreased muscle tone].

Every day his body feels like it has just run a marathon and simple tasks are difficult. For the first two years of his life Tama relied on oxygen during the night and was unable to eat normal food.

A community fundraiser raised more than $25,000 to help Tama get treatment at the Napa Centre in Los Angeles. The Chiefs Super Rugby team even helped by providing a signed jersey for an auction.

Tama then received treatment in a neurosuit; a Russian-made device that helps cosmonauts adjust from zero-gravity conditions.

‘‘It’s like a suit covered in stretchy bungee cords,’’ Tama’s mother Kirsty said.

‘‘It makes the body work very hard to move around to make the mental connections stronger.

Three weeks in a neurosuit is equivalent to one year’s traditional therapy.

Their trip, and subsequent sessions at a Napa branch in Sydney, have been a success and Kirsty wanted to share Tama’s progress with the community that made it possible.

‘‘There has been a lot of improvement,’’ Kirsty said.

‘‘From December he can now walk holding on to one hand only. We used to have to hold his body for him to walk.

‘‘We hope to get to the point where he can stand and walk on his own.’’

The increased mobility has also been a big confidence boost for Tama.

‘‘He will now move to what he wants,’’ Kirsty said.

‘‘It’s good because it means he understands what he wants but has been unable to communicate this before.

Moving forward the Trueman family aim to continue with therapy treatments and hope to improve Tama’s communication.

The Trueman’s continue to provide support for Tama at Conductive Education Wellington where Tama undergoes treatment for three weeks every month.

While his aunties are holding out hopes for Tama taking the field for the Chiefs one day, Kirsty is just happy knowing her boy is on the mend, and the community will rally behind children doing it tough.