Our Jamie has really come out of his shell in lockdown .. it’s a bit of light in a dark situation
Inspirationalyoungmanblossomsduringviruscrisisandraisescharitycash
ANDREA LAMBROU
The family of an East Kilbride man with cerebral palsy have been left in awe of his inspiring determination under lockdown.
As well as raising hundreds of pounds completing the 2.6 walking challenge for charity, Jamie Clark – who is non-verbal and communicates using facial expressions and gestures – is thriving when it comes to communicating with his family.
The past weeks and months have been difficult for scores of families, especially those with disabled children.
But, with restrictions set to ease, the Clark family can look back on life under lockdown and see the positives.
Jamie’s proud mum Suzanne said: “When the coronavirus situation happened we opted to keep Jamie off his day services.
“That first week he was home there was a dramatic change in him. He just switched off to the world.
“But then Sense Scotland were back in touch and have been really supportive.
“Jamie is non-verbal. He communicates using facial expressions and gestures. These past few weeks at home we’ve been discovering communication from Jamie that we weren’t aware of.
“He’s come through so much, he’s made of strong stuff and we’ve learned so much these past few weeks about him that we might not otherwise have known. It’s a bit of light in a dark situation.”
Since contracting meningitis as a baby, Jamie has a range of disabilities including partial blindness, cerebral palsy, epilepsy and a rare difficulty regulating his temperature.
Going without his regular care from Sense amidst the pandemic, Jamie’s family knew keeping him occupied at home 24/7 during was going to be difficult.
But he surprised Suzanne, dad Tam and his 27-year-old brother Christopher by taking on the arduous fundraising challenge and raising more than £1300 for the charity close to his heart.
The 22-year-old, was cheered on by neighbours as the wheels of his walker rolled over the finish line at his Murray home.
The week-long challenge saw Jamie complete 26 laps of his family’s house in aid of disability charity Sense Scotland.
An initiative set up to help charities across the UK recoup some of the money lost by the cancellation of fundraising events, the 2.6 refers to the 26 mile run in the London Marathon.
“That was quite something for him,” said Suzanne.
“He split the challenge up over a week. You could see how difficult it was for him, how drained he was. We’re really proud of him.”
Jamie contracted meningitis when he was just eight days old. Suzanne and Tam had to endure an anxious wait to see if their baby would survive.
“When he came through I just remember being so relieved that we still had him”, she said.
The couple got involved with Sense Scotland – where Suzanne is now a Trustee – after a neuro nurse suggested that the disability charity may be able to cater for Jamie’s dual sensory loss.
Jamie has used the charity’s services at every stage of his life and is “blossoming” at TouchBase Lanarkshire, where he usually attends.
Suzanne continued: “The staff are amazing. Jamie has ‘episodes’ where his temperature can become hypothermic very rapidly and his heart rate can drop to a life-threatening level. He was hospitalised so many times that the health board funded specialised medical equipment which literally saves his life.
“His staff are all trained to use this equipment and they are so great with him.”
Head of fundraising at the charity, Jen Niven, said: “We have been blown away by the support for us during this difficult time and Jamie’s effort is just fantastic.
“It’s testament to the quality of care given by our staff that the people we support go out their way to fundraise like this for us. Well done Jamie.”
Make a donation to Jamie’s fund at justgiving.com/fundraising/ jamie-s-2-6-challenge1657
He’s made of strong stuff ... we’ve learned so much these past few weeks about him we might not otherwise have known