Eight-year-old Johnathon comes to Cerebral Palsy Scotland for specialist physiotherapy. Mum Caeleigh told us, “We realised something was wrong at a baby class when the other babies were sitting up and Johnny wasn’t.” Johnny went on to be diagnosed with cerebral palsy when he was two years old.
“We first met Cerebral Palsy Scotland when they were doing outreach work in Lochgilphead. Their team are so specialised, and we hadn’t previously been able to access that type of support because we live in a rural location.”
Five years on, Johnny is thriving, but his cerebral palsy can make him exhausted, and he relies on his mum and dad for additional support. Mum explains, “He gets frustrated because he can’t quite understand why he gets more fatigued than other children at school. But he is also so determined. It’s like he wants to say, ‘Well I can do it, don’t ever tell me that I can’t, because I know that I can.’ I love that about him.
Cerebral Palsy Scotland are there whenever we need them, we know if we call or email, they will provide us with advice and support straightaway. I’ve got a counselling session coming up with their psychologist, which is amazing. Without Cerebral Palsy Scotland, Johnny wouldn’t have had access to physiotherapy. I think I would still be at rock bottom and we’d be lost. The therapy and support we have received has been genuinely life-changing.”
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