A team of five runners are taking part in a 5K obstacle course to raise money for a little girl who needs a pioneering operation for a chance of a better quality of life.
Dan Martin, Emma Buxton, Callum Shepherd, Kieran Wylde and Emma Butler are joining the Peterborough event to raise funds for five year old Faith McLennan after hearing of her plight through friends.
Faith has spastic quadriplegia - cerebral palsy affecting all four limbs. She is currently wheelchair bound.
The operation she needs is called selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) and her family hope it will allow her to walk unaided or with little help, as well as take away the spasticity from Faith’s limbs ensuring that the pain of being constantly stiff is removed.
Car customs specialist Dan, from Wimblington, who also runs Facebook page That Wildlife Rescue Guy,said: “When I heard about Faith I wanted to do something for her.”
Having set up a successful Halloween Heroes team, where he delivered sweets to children who could not go out trick or treating last year, he looked for other worthy local causes, which is when he heard about Faith.
The family need to raise £40,000, so they need all the help they can get.”
Faith’s mum Caroline Brewster, 26, said: “She was born with Gastroschisis (bowels on the outside) which was diagnosed at our 12 week scan.
“We were informed this was treatable which involved an operation hours after birth, we thought that after the operation we would have a healthy little girl who would lead a normal life.
“As the months went on we noticed that she was not progressing as she should of been in her physical development.
“It was confirmed Faith has Spastic Quadriplegia Cerebral Palsy after her an MRI in March 2013.
“Our world fell apart and we didn’t understand how or why this happened to our beautiful little girl,” said Caroline of Maxey.
“Faith is a happy, determined, beautiful girl but she is very limited on what she can do. She isn’t able to walk or stand by herself, although she is getting stronger and more confident with her walking frame for very limited time.
“Faith wears splints all day to help give extra support in her legs. She still needs support in everyday routines such as toileting, eating, dressing.
“As Faith grows her muscles will become tighter and might get to the point where she will be wheelchair bound full time.”
The operation she needs isn’t currently funded on the NHS so her parents set up a fund raising page to try to reach the £40,000 target needed for the procedure at Bristol Children’s Hospital.
• To sponsor the event contact Dan via his Facebook wildlife rescue page.
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