Ten\u2011year\u2011old Laigan Hammond from Catterick now has freedom, independence and a renewed joy for life, thanks to a powered wheelchair funded by Newlife.<\/p>\n
Laigan is unable to walk due to having Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) Type 1, which causes progressive muscle weakness resulting in movement loss, breathing, and swallowing difficulties \u2013 and is the same condition recently confirmed for the twins of Jesy Nelson of Little Mix fame.<\/p>\n
Although he used powered wheelchairs when he was younger, Laigan had been left with a basic heavy manual wheelchair after his local wheelchair services went into administration \u2013 until Newlife was able to step in and provide him with the powered wheelchair he needed.<\/p>\n
Laigan\u2019s mum, Nataleigh, raised concerns about his \u201cragdoll\u2011like\u201d muscle weakness for six months before a locum GP recognised the severity of his condition when he was 11 months old and sent him to hospital where the rare genetic condition was diagnosed.<\/p>\n
At the time, SMA was fatal before the age of two in 95 per cent of those diagnosed. But the arrival of the treatment Spinraza on the NHS in 2019 was able to halt the disease\u2019s progression – but it isn\u2019t a cure and couldn\u2019t reverse the muscle loss Laigan had already experienced.<\/p>\n
As he grew, specialist powered chairs allowed him to stay mobile, including one with a bespoke seat to support a severe 96\u2011degree spinal curve. Following surgery to help correct this last year, that chair no longer fit him \u2013 but the only replacement immediately offered by his local wheelchair services, NRS, was a bulky manual wheelchair, which completely took away his independence.<\/p>\n
While waiting for something more suitable to be provided by NRS it went into administration, leaving the family stranded, until they tuned to Newlife, which funded a new powered wheelchair suited to his needs. Now Nataleigh says the equipment has not only restored her son\u2019s mobility but also brought back his smile.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot having the right wheelchair removed all his independence and he really struggled. He got very down about having to constantly ask for people to move him. He struggled to spend time with friends without a parent or adult supervising him and wheeling him around.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut now because, because of this powered wheelchair he can do all those things he wanted to.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t think the first day of school would happen, but now he\u2019ll go to high school this year, it\u2019s mind-blowing. He\u2019s still so vulnerable, but his powered wheelchair is his shield.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now Laigan is able to join in games with his brother Theo, aged six, and sisters Lola, 14, and Lenia aged nine \u2013 as well as their dogs, Rowley and Russo. He has also joined a local choir too, which he loves, along with the simple pleasure of playing games with his friends in the playground.<\/p>\n
Laigan added: \u201cOne thing I really wanted to do was walk home from school with my friends instead of being picked up and taken home \u2013 and now I can do that! I love my new wheelchair.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nataleigh is now calling for SMA to be added to the routine newborn heel prick test, arguing that early treatment can save lives and significantly reduce long\u2011term NHS costs.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cIt would be very cheap to add in the tests they already do, it would save other parents from going through this heartache as the treatment could be administered before symptoms start, saving the NHS money later on.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the difference between living an able life or spending a lifetime in a wheelchair.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Ten\u2011year\u2011old Laigan Hammond from Catterick now has freedom, independence and a renewed joy for life, thanks to a powered wheelchair funded<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":23498,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"no","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23496","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n