Boy aged just 13 suffers a stroke while out cycling
A 13-YEAR-OLD boy suffered a stroke while out playing with his friends and was put into an induced coma in hospital.
Cain Griffiths had been riding his bike with his friends at Maerdy Reservoir in the Rhondda Valley on the afternoon of July 16 when he suddenly collapsed.
His devastated family say that he had a stroke to the left side of his brain which has affected the right side of his body. The 13-year-old also has a blood clot in the middle cerebral artery of his brain.
The family say that due to the boulders blocking the entrance of the reservoir, the ambulance could not get to him. The 13-year-old underwent surgery in Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, where he still remains, but he is now awake. His family say he has “a long road in front of him.”
Parents Gemma Caviell and Neil Griffiths, who live in Ferndale, have been by Cain’s side in hospital. Cain’s auntie, Shelley Caviell, said that her nephew could have died.
“He just went funny, that’s all they described it as, they said he didn’t feel right and he was calling for his brother.
“I was in the gym and one of the mums of one of the other children rang to say, ‘Cain’s fainted, can you tell your sister?’
“I rang my sister as she does makeup. She said ‘I’ll finish this make-up, Neil is on his way to him and I’ll grab some Calpol on the way. We just thought it was hot, he’s been out all day. No one thought for one second it was anything on this level.
“When they did get to him, Cain’s dad had to take them (ambulance crews) up on quads. All his mouth was drooping and he couldn’t talk.”
The 37-year-old said that they don’t know what the cause of the stroke is yet.
She added: “The first few days he was completely on a ventilator, couldn’t speak. Last night (Thursday) they managed to get him in a wheelchair. He can’t speak but he knows who you are and he can put his thumb up on his left side. On his right side he’s got no feeling.
“This is going to be his life now for a long, long time.”
She admitted Cain’s parents are struggling, especially as Cain loves playing outdoors, whether that was on his bike, fishing or playing rugby.
“She (Gemma) has her moments when she’s fine but when he tries to speak and can’t she cries, it’s the realisation that he can’t speak. Cain’s dad is struggling to accept it.
“Gemma is struggling with how he is going to play rugby. He’s had loads of support. How is his life going to be after, how is he going to cope?”
The family are now calling for the boulders at the reservoir to be removed to prevent this from happening to anyone else.
Shelley added: “In terms of treating a stroke, time is of the essence. There is a four-hour window which was missed because of this. Rest assured, we will make sure they’re removed. They don’t stop jeeps or motorbikes because they can just drive up and around them. They stop the emergency services.
“The kids who were with him were absolutely fabulous. They put him in the recovery position, they had to run to get a signal too as there is no signal, they even shielded him with towels from the sun until help arrived.”
Since the incident, the community has come together by organising various fundraising events for Cain such as selling ribbon bows and a family fun day. A page (https://www.paypal. com/pools/c/8Bj5NpALUM) has also been set up, with the community raising more than £1,000 so far.
“People come together in a time of crisis,” she added. “That’s been lovely and all the messages of support.”
A spokesman for Welsh Water said: “We are sorry to hear about what happened to Cain whilst at Maerdy Reservoir and are thinking of him and his family as he recovers.
“We do have boulders in place on one of the access routes as these were put in place following repeated acts of vandalism to the barrier that was originally there. We did also put signage in place where the boulders are located with a telephone number to call should emergency access be required but this has also been vandalised. We are in the process of replacing the sign and will also be liaising with all of the emergency services to advise them of the contact number should they need emergency access in future.”