William’s Mum, Kelly, thought her toddler son was flatfooted because he kept having minor falls and she took him to a paediatrician who instantly suspected something more insidious. Further tests were undertaken at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital and the paediatrician’s fears were confirmed when William was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy at just two years old.

Kelly described the way she felt following this news, as one of mourning, a sense of grief and guilt for not being able to keep her son healthy, even though deep down she knew it’s was not her fault.

Now aged 15, William is a funny young man who draws strength from his tight-knit family and loves gaming online with friends. As Kelly explained: “William’s illness only affects his body and not his mind and his biggest challenge now is that, he knows the prognosis and understands how the condition will progress”.

William has used a wheelchair since the age of ten and his illness means his muscle weakness will increase.  Unable to lift his arms, William relied on bringing his head to his hands to eat or drink but following a major surgery to correct his scoliosis with spinal-rods, he could not do this. Kelly told us: “Despite the necessity of the surgery, the anxiety was tremendous as it meant William would be left with almost no independence”. To help William continue to eat and care for himself, a robotic arm-support system had been suggested, which attaches to his wheelchair and will enable him to regain-use of his arms with the with aid of the device.

Having been declined by the local authorities, the family was at a loss as to how to obtain this expensive equipment. Nevertheless, William’s occupational therapist at the hospital advised she knew “just the people who might help” and made a referral to React. The news that React would provide the device which arrived whilst William was in hospital, brought Kelly immense relief that was felt by the whole family: “William’s physio, occupational therapist and our whole family were in floods of tears that there was finally some light at the end of the tunnel and everything from there seemed to fall into place”.

William has made an awesome recovery and with his spine corrected and new arm-support, he can now eat without help from others and continues to enjoy a new found independence.

Kelly said, William’s health is now much better and he has made an amazing recovery in the past few months. His confidence is taking time to build back up, but as a family they are looking forward to the months to come. React is delighted to have been able to assist and if you know anyone who could benefit from React’s service, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team: https://reactcharity.org/contact