Fundraiser that makes so much difference to so many
HEEL ANDTOE CHARITY
MEET Matthew Garner, the young man who refuses to let his body limit him.
The 21-year-old is quadriplegic and in a wheelchair after being diagnosed with cerebral palsy at three months.
His condition means Matthew from Billingham, Teesside. is unable to do things many people take for granted.
But thanks to life-changing therapy and fierce determination, Matthew has overcome the odds to play drums in a rhythm band - and even took part in a fundraising jet-ski ride with his dad.
Now his family have paid tribute to North East children’s charity Heel and Toe for helping to transform his life.
Matthew was born five weeks premature by emergency caesarean after mum Gillian suffered placenta abruption and he had to be resuscitated at birth.
He has attended the Heel and Toe centre in Chester-Le-Street for two conductive therapy sessions a week since 2009.
Gillian said: “The conductive therapy has been really important as the NHS physiotherapy diminished really as he got older. The biggest difference the therapy has made is that Matthew now has the upper body control and confidence he needs to balance in his wheelchair.
“It’s also been great for developing his fine manipulation skills, his hands have some deformities, but because of the therapy he can do things like hold his drumsticks.”
Matthew was hoping to become a fireman when he left school, but sadly his condition meant this wasn’t possible. He now attends Stockton Riverside College and is completing an employability course, including English and maths.
Gillian said: “Matthew was really disappointed when he realised he couldn’t be a fireman like he always wanted, but he did get an opportunity to complete a work placement in a fire station.”
Gillian is backing the charity’s Footprints Appeal to raise £270,000 to transform a derelict building near Chester-leStreet as a new base to provide life changing therapy for families.
Matthew and his dad Russ even completed a jet-ski ride from Hartlepool to Whitby which raised over £3,000.
Another North East mum backing the appeal is Nicola McGuinness, from Dunston, Gateshead, whose son Shea was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when he was 11 months.
Shea didn’t learn to crawl until he was six. His condition means he suffers from mobility issues that affect his co-ordination and can make him very weak, as well as a visual impairment that effects day to day activities like reading.
Now 12, he is in his first year of mainstream comprehensive school and can walk with a frame.
“Before we heard about Heel and Toe, we were travelling to Somerset and paying for physiotherapy there,” she said.