The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Cammy campaign is off to flying start
The parents of a Fife youngster who launched an appeal to raise £100,000 to provide life changing surgery for their four-yearold son says they have been overwhelmed after receiving more than £13,000 in public donations just two weeks since the campaign began.
Jim and Eleanor Gilmour from Anstruther, whose son, Cameron, was d iagnosed w ith quadriplegic cerebral palsy shortly after he was born, hope to raise enough to provide surgery for the youngster.
The treatment he needs is only available in the United States but it would ease his suffering and may eventually allow him to walk.
Cameron, or Cammy as he likes to be known, was born in December 2015, 15 weeks premature and weighing only 1lb 13oz.
After a four-month struggle to survive, brave Cammy was finally allowed to go home but was later
diagnosed quadriplegic cerebral palsy which seriously affects his muscle control and coordination.
He was also found to have spasticity in his limbs which means he can’t do most things other children take for granted like crawling, standing and walking.
The family is campaigning to raise the funds to give their son the quality of life he deserves but Jim admits, while it is a fantastic start, there’s still a long way to go to secure that trip to America.
He said: “We are astounded that people have donated so much in just the first few weeks but there is still much to do so we are urging people to dig deep if they can, as every single donation, regardless of how small, will make all the difference to Cammy.”
The £100,000 will enable Cammy to have intensive therapy and secure potentially life-changing Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR) surgery.
Because of the severity of his condition the treatment is not available on the NHS but is available at The St Louis Children’s Hospital in the USA.
“This comes at a considerable cost not only for the surgery itself but also for pre and post-op therapy along with specialist equipment that will be required to get the full benefits of the surgery,” Jim explained.
“While the NHS do carry out the surgery in the UK, it’s geared around a success rate basis and Cammy is ineligible. That’s why we’re looking towards America.”
With the ongoing Covid19 restrictions hampering the family ’s ability to fundraise, Jim is urging those who can make a donation to do so online.
“For obvious reasons, we c a n’ t do the normal fundraising events you would expect but we do have a number of things planned in the months ahead including auctions and the like and so we are appealing for the public to help us take away the pain and give Cammy the chance he deserves.”