Mum calls for disabled children to be top priority

GOVT MUST PROVIDE 'A LOT MORE FUNDING FOR DISABLED KIDS'

- KATIE TIMMS

A YOUNG Plymouth family has joined a charity’s call to the government to prioritise disabled children, after being given vital help.

Two-year-old Roman Pearse is unable to sit up, crawl or roll over, as he has cerebral palsy. The little one was left in pain and at risk of long-term joint and muscle damage due to the lack of support from a high street buggy. It was estimated that a specialist buggy from local health and social care services would take nearly a year to arrive.

Roman also suffers from complex epilepsy and has some hearing and vision loss, meaning he has numerous crucial medical and therapy appointments to attend.

However, without the appropriate specialist buggy to assist him, his mobility was severely limited, potentially leading to missed vital medical and therapy appointments and a worsening of his condition.

In a desperate bid for help, Roman’s mother, Lauren Smallridge, reached out to Newlife – The Charity for Disabled Children. They were able to swiftly provide a specialist buggy through their Emergency Equipment Loan service.

Newlife is the UK’s largest charity provider of specialist equipment and support for disabled and terminally ill children and their families, offering emergency loans and grants for permanent provision of equipment.

The charity has released a new report, Fight for Our Future, which  exposes the fact that waiting lists for assessments in the South West can exceed a year.