Help make walking unaided a dream come true for Crawley toddler

Two-year-old Sonny Hamilton from Broadfield was born 29 weeks premature and as a result has four limb cerebral palsy. This mean he cannot sit, walk or stand on his own.

As determined little boy, that does not stop him trying and so mum, Katie Finkle, has teamed up with the charity Just4Children to help her raise the cash to fund a vital operation.

Katie said: “He has recently got a walker for children and he is getting used to that, but it’s still really restrictive.

“They are strapped round his legs and he cannot bend down. He cause a great deal of frustration for him.

“£80,000 would fund a major operation in the spine to do with the nerves and tendons which relate to the legs.

“For Sonny to have this operation will change his whole life. He will be able to walk. As a mother that’s all you want. It’s all he wants to do.”

She added: “The NHS will not fund it at all. You have to raise the money yourself or they have to go without.”

Ideally doctors need to carry out the procedure before he reaches his fourth birthday. It is a balance between doing it when the children can understand what is required of them, but at a time when it will not disrupt their education.

Following the operation, Sonny will have to learn from scratch how to walk, sit and stand - skills most children learn when they are months old.

Many children with cerebral palsy can also have associated learning difficulties, but this is not something which affects Sonny. This can be a cause for increased frustration for the toddler.

Katie explained: “In one respect we are quite lucky, but at the same time because he is ‘normal’ apart from his muscles, he cannot understand why he cannot do the same as his friends and his cousins.”

To donate towards the operation text SONN64 £5 to 70070 or go to campaign.justgiving.com/charity/just4children/sonnysdreamtowalk