Pioneering cerebral palsy surgery: Daniel's journey

Featured Article Main Category: Neurology / Neuroscience Also Included In: Pediatrics / Children's Health Article Date: 06 Aug 2013 - 10:00 PDT

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Daniel Pretty lives in the county of Surrey in the UK. Like many 5-year-olds, he enjoys sports and playing with his little brother - but unlike many children his age, he needs help to do even the simplest of tasks.

Daniel was born with spastic cerebral palsy, a condition that makes his muscles very tight, prohibiting him from standing or walking unaided.

In the UK, a surgical procedure known as selective dorsal rhizotomy, or SDR, is relatively new with poor availability, which is why Daniel and his family have sought help from Dr. T.S. Park, a neurosurgeon at the St. Louis Children's Hospital in Missouri. The potentially life-changing surgery comes at some cost, however - $83,000 to be precise.

Tree of Hope - a UK-based children's charity with close links to MNT - is helping Daniel's family with funding, in addition to a 5,000 ($7,600) donation from us toward Daniel's cause. The Tree of Hope is Medical News Today's charity of the year.

Go to Daniel's website for more details about how you too can help. Or donate to his cause by clicking the 'donate' button below.

Medical News Today will be bringing you updates about Daniel's quest for treatment from mom Catherine's blog. Meanwhile, here's more on his story:

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of disorders affecting movement and balance that arise as a result of a brain injury or brain development problems. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's information on cerebral palsy, for every 303 eight-year-olds in the US, one has some form of CP, with spastic cerebral palsy being the most common type.

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Pioneering cerebral palsy surgery: Daniel's journey