Help Kayley Walk
Help make a 6yr old's dream come true
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We are a family living in Navan town, Co. Meath, Ireland. Our 6yr old daughter Kayley has a condition called Diplegia. It is a form of Cerebral Palsy which restricts her movement and causes mobility issues. The muscles in her legs appear tight and stiff. Kayley can't do a lot of things that other children her age take for granted, like running, jumping, kicking a ball or using playground equipment.Kayley was accepted for a life changing operation that changed all of this. On October 23rd we flew to St Louis, Missouri, USA, for a procedure called Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy at the St Louis Childrens Hospital. This surgery has been performed for over 20 years by Dr Park and his team at the hospital. On October 26th 2010 Kayley had this procedure which involved cutting some of the sensory nerves that enter the spinal cord, the ones responsible for that muscle tightness (spasticity)She recovered well and was back on her feet (literally!) 5days post op. Though weak, 4weeks of physiotherapy with the hospital's fantastic physio team ensured she was strong enough to leave St Louis with the ability to start using forearm crutches, free of the spasticity that restricted her in so many ways. She was now able to continue therapy at home which would be a combination of building up strength, breaking old habits and learning to use her "new legs"In only 6mths post surgery Kayley is using her forearm crutches and walks to and from school with them. The bulky walking frame has been ditched. She sits in almost any position she likes, she can even cross her legs . She can stand independently and has taken some independent steps though she still has a lot of muscle building to do to sustain this but the main difference is that now there is hope for her where little was before. She is absolutely adoring learning to swim and horseride something she never did before and she has taken to this like a duck to water !Its been one year since we started our incredible fundraising journey to raise the money required to take Kayley to America for this surgery and we are so thankful to everyone that helped and supported us along the way. We couldnt have done it without you and if you are a parent visiting Kayleys site that would like some information on SDR please come and join the SDR group on Facebook search "Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy St Louis Childrens Hospital" in the search bar.Jacky Dunne and Keith Gaule
Ordinary Girl - Hannah Montana
Horseriding Post SDR
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Me by Kayley
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Tv3
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