We've heard that statement more than enough times in the last fifteen months, and it looks like we'll be hearing it for a while longer.
This week, we took our little family to a place called Brainwave in Somerset. Center Parcs would probably have been more fun, but this centre for brain-injured children was where we decided to take a short break. Stanley has been receiving physiotherapy on and off for the last five months, since being diagnosed with cerebral palsy in the summer. Unfortunately, as good as the quality of treatment that the NHS provide is, at only once a week in six-week blocks, it's just not enough.
If we had an infinite money supply, we'd pay for as much treatment as would be beneficial for Stanley to be given the best chance to live a normal life. That's obviously not the case, but we've been looking for anywhere that could help him a bit more. We came across Brainwave, based in Bridgwater, who have extremely good reviews and have been known to work wonders with children suffering from similar issues. Although it's quite expensive, we'd regret it in five years time if we didn't just give it a go.
So we checked in for a couple of nights, and the physiotherapists got to know (and love) Stanley after spending two whole days with him. They assessed him more closely than anyone has yet, and they've given us a daily routine of exercises to follow, specially designed to help Stanley where he needs it most.
We now understand the underlying problems in a lot more depth, which is going to help us come to terms with Stanley's predicament and how we're going to help him get through it. The prognosis is not great. Although no-one can really give us a definite end result, because things can change so much in the next year or so, the realistic outcome for life at this point is that he should be able to just about walk. It's never really sunk in before, mainly because we've never had enough information to be able to understand the severity of his problem. Despite now knowing this slightly depressing prognosis, at least we can get to grips with it and start thinking about how best to make sure that our son is as happy as he can possibly be.
Although Stanley has his cerebral palsy against him, he has everything else fighting for him. Most importantly, he's extremely motivated. Like his big sister, he's a stubborn little fighter and he's not going to let this bastard affliction get in his way. He's so determined to get to toys and objects that he wants, even if it means dragging himself all the way across a room to get it. He's pretty sharp upstairs too - his intellect appears to be unaffected. These two qualities mean he's got as good a chance as anyone in his situation to get the better of it.
The only thing that really matters in life is that our children are happy. Right now, Stanley has no idea of all the fuss that's going on around him. Life inside a body that doesn't work quite as well as he wants it to, is all he knows. So when we see him smiling and laughing, we know he's genuinely happy. It's just when he gets old enough to understand that it will be harder for him.
The outcome could of course be much better or much worse - no-one knows yet. As we've heard hundreds of times before, 'every baby's different'. We just need to do everything we can, which means, at the moment, making sure he's happy and helping him with his daily workout.
Although all the focus was on Stanley during our visit to Somerset, a little girl by the name of Willow didn't go unnoticed. Stanley's sister is amazingly well-behaved for a one year old. She never made a fuss the whole time, almost as if she knew why we were there and she was supporting her brother. She also won over the hearts of the physios, with her mischevious smile and her delightful disposition. We couldn't wish for more perfect children - we just hope they're on the receiving end of some good luck soon.
This week, we took our little family to a place called Brainwave in Somerset. Center Parcs would probably have been more fun, but this centre for brain-injured children was where we decided to take a short break. Stanley has been receiving physiotherapy on and off for the last five months, since being diagnosed with cerebral palsy in the summer. Unfortunately, as good as the quality of treatment that the NHS provide is, at only once a week in six-week blocks, it's just not enough.
If we had an infinite money supply, we'd pay for as much treatment as would be beneficial for Stanley to be given the best chance to live a normal life. That's obviously not the case, but we've been looking for anywhere that could help him a bit more. We came across Brainwave, based in Bridgwater, who have extremely good reviews and have been known to work wonders with children suffering from similar issues. Although it's quite expensive, we'd regret it in five years time if we didn't just give it a go.
So we checked in for a couple of nights, and the physiotherapists got to know (and love) Stanley after spending two whole days with him. They assessed him more closely than anyone has yet, and they've given us a daily routine of exercises to follow, specially designed to help Stanley where he needs it most.
We now understand the underlying problems in a lot more depth, which is going to help us come to terms with Stanley's predicament and how we're going to help him get through it. The prognosis is not great. Although no-one can really give us a definite end result, because things can change so much in the next year or so, the realistic outcome for life at this point is that he should be able to just about walk. It's never really sunk in before, mainly because we've never had enough information to be able to understand the severity of his problem. Despite now knowing this slightly depressing prognosis, at least we can get to grips with it and start thinking about how best to make sure that our son is as happy as he can possibly be.
Although Stanley has his cerebral palsy against him, he has everything else fighting for him. Most importantly, he's extremely motivated. Like his big sister, he's a stubborn little fighter and he's not going to let this bastard affliction get in his way. He's so determined to get to toys and objects that he wants, even if it means dragging himself all the way across a room to get it. He's pretty sharp upstairs too - his intellect appears to be unaffected. These two qualities mean he's got as good a chance as anyone in his situation to get the better of it.
The only thing that really matters in life is that our children are happy. Right now, Stanley has no idea of all the fuss that's going on around him. Life inside a body that doesn't work quite as well as he wants it to, is all he knows. So when we see him smiling and laughing, we know he's genuinely happy. It's just when he gets old enough to understand that it will be harder for him.
The outcome could of course be much better or much worse - no-one knows yet. As we've heard hundreds of times before, 'every baby's different'. We just need to do everything we can, which means, at the moment, making sure he's happy and helping him with his daily workout.
Although all the focus was on Stanley during our visit to Somerset, a little girl by the name of Willow didn't go unnoticed. Stanley's sister is amazingly well-behaved for a one year old. She never made a fuss the whole time, almost as if she knew why we were there and she was supporting her brother. She also won over the hearts of the physios, with her mischevious smile and her delightful disposition. We couldn't wish for more perfect children - we just hope they're on the receiving end of some good luck soon.
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