Edward (Eddie) Ironmonger

Hi Everyone,

We are creating this page on behalf of our son.Eddie was born eight weeks early and was transferred to the NICU, where hespent the first three weeks of his life. He was ventilated due tounderdeveloped lungs and required a blood transfusion during this time as hewas suffering from sepsis. Unfortunately, due to these traumatic experiences,he was left with brain damage, which caused cerebral palsy.

Eddie has spastic diplegia, which affects themuscle control and coordination in his legs and arms, making them stiff andcontracted, which has left him unable to walk and can be painful. As he grows,the muscles will get tighter, making exercise even more painful for him. Evennow, the pain can wake him up in the night, meaning he has disturbed sleep.

Eddie has recently had an appointment at Alder HeyHospital in Liverpool for Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR). SDR is a surgicalprocedure that involves dividing and cutting some of the nerves in the spinalcord that contribute to spasticity in the lower limbs. The operation willimprove Eddie's mobility and quality of life. However, this is not available toEdward with NHS funding as he cannot walk, he doesn't meet the criteria.

A very sociable and happy little boy, Eddie haslots of friends and wants to be able to interact with them on the same level.He currently uses a walking frame and loves riding his bike but can't stay inthem for long due to the tightness in his legs. This operation should helpexpand Eddie's world and allow him to ride his bike and play with his cousinsand friends at their level.

We need to raise £20,000 for the operation andaftercare. Please help us raise this money and help Eddie have this operation.

7.5% of all donations to Tree of Hope in relation to this appeal will be allocated to the general charitable purposes of Tree of Hope to cover our core operating costs.

If we raise insufficient funds, or surplus funds, then the funds will be used, if appropriate, to fund support for our child's needs in accordance with Tree of Hope's charitable objects. If in those circumstances we are unable to use all or part of the funds for the benefit of our child in accordance with Tree of Hope's charitable objectives, then any funds that cannot be used will be transferred to be used for the general charitable purposes of Tree of Hope.