Tyler was born at 25 weeks gestation at Waikato hospital on the 15th of Sept 2009. He was born because of antepartum haemorrhaging that was caused from a multiple pregnancy going wrong. Around the time of his birth he has suffered some form of brain damage resulting in cerebral palsy. Spastic diplegia which is the form of CP that Ty has, only affects his legs directly. The brain sends signals down his spinal cord which aren't balance and so his movements are stiff, jerky and uncoordinated. For Ty this means that he has a lot more problems than other kids his age walking, jumping, standing still and getting in out of positions like sitting and standing. Indirectly he tires really quickly and can not concentrate because he is sitting or standing with muscles that are working continuously to either keep him balanced or in a certain position. The operation that we are fundraising for is performed by Dr Park at St Louis Children's Hospital in America. He is the world leader in this procedure and it is not funded by the NZ government. Tyler has been accepted for this operation and was considered to be an excellent candidate for the operation. In the operation Dr Park exposes the spinal cord in Ty's lower back and separates the spinal cord in to rootlets. He then tests the rootlets to see which nerves are sending the spastic signals to Tyler's legs. He then cuts these nerves so that the spastic messages can no longer get through to Tyler's legs, but he still have full range of movement and function. While there is risks with every surgery Dr Park has performed this operation more than 2600 times and has only had to take two patients back in for a minor repair for spinal fluid leak. My main motivation for putting Tyler though this major surgery is not to get him walking, because he has achieved that, it is the real long term picture. * Being able to stay in school for the whole day so he doesn't fall behind his peers, * Keeping up with and participate in all the activities and sports he chooses to, * not to fall and injury himself as often as he does. * not to have a wheel chair for going out and about once he outgrows his pushchair. * being able to drive a normal car, * not getting arthritis when he's in his 30's * reducing the risks of him have absent seizures from being overtired, * not having to go through anymore botox, * not being caught up in the hospital system, * and last but no means least being able to choose any career he wants to do and not having to settle for a career he is capable of. The frustrating thing for us as parents is having to sit back knowing that this operation will go a long way to helping his future, but it is so far out of reach without the help of many. Any support and donation will be so greatly appreciated and if you could spread the word to other friends and family many hands will make light work. Cerebral palsy i
