Update on George

I thought it time I brought you the latest news and update on Little George, who’s almost 13 years old now and definitely not little. He’s turning into a very handsome young man.

It’s hard to believe it was 7 years ago when all the family were busy crowdfunding to raise the money to send my nephew’s son, who was born with cerebral palsy, to St Louis in the USA for an SDR operation. An operation that was a success but it later transpired he had misaligned hips too. Consequently, he had to undergo major surgery again to correct the problem. You may recall the photo of him with a metal frame pinned through his body.

Last year, after 5 years of 3-monthly trips to the Bristol Children’s Hospital, major hip surgery, an incredibly tough rehab, setbacks and a pretty worrying time all round, in yet another operation, all the metalwork in his body was successfully removed. His hips had recovered 100%, his left leg completely healed, and a perfect hip Xray for the first time. At last, he had a good range of movement, leaving his surgeon and his parents very happy, especially being told George should never need any more surgery. It was the best news ever for his parents.

Let’s be fair, he and his parents have endured an incredible amount over these 12+ years. A lot of worry, a lot of expense, and a lot of hard work on all three’s behalf with the constant physio George needs. And that help will be needed for life.

But George always amazes us. He rarely complains, he pushes himself as hard as he can as he so wants to be able to walk and be as independent as he can be given the circumstance. He loves his little sister, enjoys jokes, playing games, teasing and having fun, like any child. He enjoys school and has lots of friends but along came lockdown.

He struggled with it at first, like all teenagers missing his friends, the play and the fun, the lessons. And his parents miss his carer. He’s a big lad and heavy to lift now and needs a lot of help, so his parents have had their work cut out. I haven’t seen him since Christmas, but my niece tells me he’s now coping well and still the happy, giggly George we so love.

He’s settled down to doing his schoolwork at home, usually with his little sister sitting at the table helping him. But he does miss surfing, which he loves, always going into hysterics whenever he has a wipe-out, and can’t wait to go again.

 

And he missed his outings to his favourite restaurant where he always has his favourite meal including a hot chocolate. I was delighted to hear last week that he could finally meet up with his PA, who took him there for lunch, and guess what he ordered? His favourite, oh, and a hot chocolate! So for him, and the rest of us, life is slowly getting a little normality back.

George and his family live in a lovely part of the North Devon coast, which has meant they have been able to have many pleasurable secluded walks but because of being home all the time, not being able to have his regular physio sessions, and due to the fact that he has grown so much, his legs are stiff, making his walking extra hard work. What doesn’t help is that he’s also outgrown his trike which allowed him some independence, and he’s now in urgent need of a new one.

A Tomcat Bullet has been trialled. George loved it as he is unable to ride a standard bicycle. For the first time since hip surgery he was able to peddle independently. A huge achievement for him. You can imagine the huge smile on his face. But like all things like this, it doesn’t come cheap, and with his parents being furloughed, money is tight. Charities here in the UK have been approached, but because of Covid, they are not accepting applications. But not to beaten, the family are crowdfunding again in order to buy one. The benefit of this trike is it grows with him up to a maximum size of 6’2″ meaning he shouldn’t need another one after this. We’ve still a long way to go, but we’ll get there. And no doubt, sister Daisy will enjoy rides on it too.

Kit Domino’s Website and Blog