VEST IS BEST FOR THEO
Ill baby needs YOUR help to fund life-changing equipment
When little Theodore was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at just three weeks old you could forgive his devoted parents for fearing the worst.
The condition will mean eight-month-old Theodore Samuel Marshall will need medication, physiotherapy and special nutritional requirements for the rest of his life.
Now, Theodore’s parents Elise Watson and Gabriel Marshall want to show that their little boy is living proof that it’s “not all doom and gloom” for children born with cystic fibrosis any more.
The condition is genetic and can occur when both parents carry the cystic fibrosis gene – which one in 25 people have.
Theodore was diagnosed after the heel-prick test came back abnormal for CF which was later confirmed with a sweat test when he was three-weeks-old.
Dad Gabriel, 37, said: “The RVI have been incredible. There’s a designated team for cystic fibrosis and there is a designated team for each patient or child.”
The professional singer, who works at a resort in Corfu, said: “A lot of people have the old mentality of ‘oh dear’ as CF 10 years ago meant a very short life span for a lot of people.”
Gabriel, who is originally from South Wales, added: “It’s now a condition that we believe can be maintained into the latter stages of his life as well. It still can’t be beaten as of yet, but the science and the funding behind it over the last 10 years means that this little boy can stay alive.”
The family from Farringdon have been raising money since the summer to help pay for a physiotherapy vest for Theodore which he can get from the age of two.
Mum Elise, 20, said: “We have to do physio which is 20 minutes, obviously trying to get a baby to lie still for 20 minutes is really difficult.
“But this vest means that he can put it on and do whatever he wants while he wears the vest instead of trying to pin him down to the floor.”
A vest, which costs £15,000 when bought new, vibrates and is an easier way to administer the vital physiotherapy which helps remove mucus from his lungs and breathing passages.
The couple set up a Go Fund Me page in June to help pay for a second hand vest, which will cost about £8,000.
“It’s only been going four months so far and we’ve already got £3,768, so almost half,” said Elise.
To donate visit www.gofundme.com/theo039s-cfphysio-vest
“The science behind it means this little boy can stay alive” GABRIEL MARSHALL