What a month it has been… Thomas had his operation 5 weeks ago, so we have been focusing on him – and Dylan – throughout the surgery and immediate needs of post-op recovery.  Our own efforts at fund-raising were put on hold.  But thankfully, we have a wonderful extended family around us, who continued to run events through this period.

So thanks to several cousins, and to Bea Gimenez (my brother Michael’s partner) and her family in Spain, we’ve all of a sudden found our fundraising total at £70,000!  Bea’s been with us since the start, as she designed this web site!

This new total is still shy of our target of £75,000, but it feels within touching distance now.

So now that Thomas has had his op, what does this mean?  What will your money now go towards?  Well Thomas is already back to 4 to 5 hours of 1:1 physio per week.  In the next week or so (6 weeks post-op), he will hopefully get back to horse riding and swimming lessons too.

He will also continue to get intensive blocks of physio at Footsteps (2h/day every day for 3 weeks).  In fact he just started one today!  He will have one such block every 3 months.

This intensity will continue for the next year at least.  In year 2, with increased mobility, he will be more naturally active, so the requirement for formal physio will hopefully fall to 3 hours per week, plus the Footsteps sessions.

We will also need to buy some more equipment too – trike, standing frame, and other such items that will support his on-going progress.  A lightweight wheelchair would also allow him to be much more independent too, especially at school.

This is where your fund-raising money is going.  These investments are essential so that Thomas can make the best of the opportunities that the operation has given him.  We’re already beginning to see that, and we’re so grateful to everyone that has helped.  Thank you.