‘I’VE NEVER KNOWN HIM IN SO MUCH PAIN BEFORE... IT IS HORRIBLE TO SEE’
Mum fundraising for brave Harrison’s physio
A MUM says it has been ‘horrible’ having to watch her young son suffer ‘unimaginable agony’ day after day.
Brave Harrison Brown, from Newcastle, fought through excruciating pain to learn to walk using a frame – but is now back to square one after a major setback.
For the last few years, Harrison, who has cerebral palsy, has felt his hips being slowly dislocated by his overly tight muscles. The eight-year-old fearlessly went under the knife for surgery to shorten his bones, leaving him in a massively painful ‘broomstick cast’.
It comes five years after mum Lydia Wakelin crowd-funded £16,000 for private surgery to help his mobility. Now Harrison cannot access the therapy he needs on the NHS.
Lydia, aged 38, said: “The pain has been horrendous. We’ve had so many tears and I’ve never known him in so much pain before.
“It’s been horrible for me to see him that way. We’re back at square one now where we’ve got to start the physio all over again and learn everything again.
“It’ll cost a lot again in private physio fees. It’s really important now for his future he can do as much as he can by himself now. For his independence, it’ll be massive.
“He hasn’t walked using his walking frame in about three years, so the closer we can get him back to that, the better, but he’ll need physio probably for the rest of his life. “With his current physio at Private Steps in Stoke-on-trent, the pain is easing and he’s been so brave – he’s been through it all once before and is having to go through it again after this surgery.”
Now the local community have leapt into action to help fund his private physio sessions. That includes dad-oftwo Ben Stringer – a friend of Harrison’s dad, 38-year-old bus driver Ray Brown.
He has been training for the Potteries ‘Arf in his lunch breaks and spare time. The 40-year-old said: “Doing this and other fundraising for Harrison means that Lydia is able to just have that money there for moments when she will need it unplanned.
“It’ll be a huge weight off the shoulders for her. We just want to see him smiling again.
“He’s such a nice little boy who’s happy and full of life and I wouldn’t like to think of the pain he’s gone through. Lydia’s such a strong person, but is in such a tough situation.
“Harrison is always chatty and the fight he’s shown just shows what a strong kid he is. So we’re doing the best we can to raise as much money as possible and I’m happy to do this in order to get that done.”
Harrison was diagnosed with spastic diplegia cerebral palsy aged nine months, having been born premature, suffering a major bleed on the brain.
■ The Potters ‘Arf will take place on Sunday, June 12. Anyone who wants to donate to Harrison’s cause can do so via his Gofundme page at www.gofundme. com/f/harrsions-physio-fund?.