Penwortham family launch appeal for tot who suffered stroke in the womb

“One day, if Eddie has the desire, he will be able to climb Everest!”
Eddie has shown his determination to walkEddie has shown his determination to walk
Eddie has shown his determination to walk

That’s the cherished hope of a Penwortham family, who have launched an appeal to raise £6,500 to help their toddler son lead as normal life as possible.

Eddie Wootton-Caroll was born in April 2018 to Jenny Wootton and Jenna Carroll, an IVF baby apparently perfectly normal and hitting every developmental milestone.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

It was only when the “happy and chatty” little boy reached the age of four or five months that his parents began to notice he was only using his right hand to grab toys, to push himself up and to grab his bottle. They also noticed that his right leg would lift and kick but his left didn’t.

Eddie Wootton-Carroll of PenworthamEddie Wootton-Carroll of Penwortham
Eddie Wootton-Carroll of Penwortham

After a series of GP appointments, Jenna and Jenny decided to fund a private appointment to see a Paediatric Consultant at the Spire Hospital in Manchester, who gave them the diagnosis Eddie had Left Sided Hemiplegia, a form of Spastic Cerebral Palsy.

The specialist concluded it due to Eddie having a stroke at some point during his young life - probably while in the womb.

Jenna, 29, said: Along with the diagnosis we were told he may never walk, and if he did, he would never walk like you and me. We were told he may never use his arm, and even if he did, not like you and me. We were told he may have speech problems, breathing problems, vision issues and epilepsy.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The family, who live in Howick Park Avenue, Penwortham, were referred back to the NHS for support from physiotherapy and occupational therapy, having previously been paying for private physio Jenna says was “hard work and extremely frustrating” as Eddie couldn’t or didn’t want to complete exercises.

Eddie at a play centreEddie at a play centre
Eddie at a play centre

Jenna said: “All he’s known is to use his right hand and it’s tough to see him get upset and scream the house down.”

It was only when following a girl with the same condition on Instagram that the couple became aware of Constraint Induced Movement Therapy (CIMT).

CIMT is designed to create new pathways for the brains signals to get to the affected area of the body. This is done through constraint of the unaffected arm in order for the brain to find another way - forced use of the affected arm.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The programme is three to four weeks long, over five days a week, with three hours of therapy a day.

Eddie Wooton-Carroll with his nana Sue Wootton (Pic: Neil Cross)Eddie Wooton-Carroll with his nana Sue Wootton (Pic: Neil Cross)
Eddie Wooton-Carroll with his nana Sue Wootton (Pic: Neil Cross)

For Eddie this will involve his right hand and arm being in a full plaster cast 24 hours a day, for three to four weeks.

Jenna, who works as an assistant manager at McDonalds at the Capitol Centre, said: “We were seeing an occupational therapist on the NHS. We mentioned CIMT to them and they said if they could do it, with the NHS being strapped for cash, it was going to be few and far between.

“What we need is to do it for three to four weeks solidly, all of us doing it at home.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

She added: “He has very limited in the use of his left arm and hand and he needs to be taught how to use it. This therapy is to open his eyes to the fact he’s got another arm that he can use.

“He will be fully casted-up on his right arm, then after the initial three to four weeks, he will get a removable cast that we will use with him, and keep working on it long-term.”

She added: “This will bring many challenges, especially when we are at home without the therapists. There will likely be lots of tantrums but we know it’s for his own good.

“Studies have shown that the treatment has positive improvements and significant progress is made. We feel this is the kick-start that Eddie needs in order to give him best possible start in life. In order to give him the support he needs we need to learn from the therapists to be able to implement the therapy at home.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“One thing is clear, the earlier the intervention the better. Although Eddie knows no different, he will eventually and if we don’t try and do something about it now he will have no use of it for the rest of his life - which means he will be limited as to what he can do and what he can achieve.”

Now 22 months old, and despite his left-side weakness which causes his knee to hyperextend and hip to fall backwards, Eddie has learned to walk.

Jenna said: “He does walk, in his own way. We actually didn’t think he’d walk as soon as he has, he’s so determined. What he lacks in mobility, he makes up in intelligence. He’s very clever.

“We don’t know what’s to come in the future. The part of his brain that’s been affected is connected to motor skills and emotion.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“We don’t know whether he’ll need extra help after this or at school.”

She added: “I feel like it’s been appointment after appointment, it’s not stopped. And when you go to places like play centres and there’s children younger than him climbing and doing things he can’t, it really hits home.

“But he’s a happy little boy, he doesn’t know any different.

“As he gets older though, he will do and he will ask questions. This is why we have to do all we can now to give him the best chance.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Jenna and Jenny set up a Go Fund Me page a week ago with the aim of raising £6,500 for the therapy. As of yesterday, the fund stood at £2,405.

Jenna said: “It wasn’t really our idea to set up the page, it was my boss at work.

“I always feel that we can’t ask for money, but then I had a look at the site and saw what other people were fundraising for.

“We’re very shocked at people’s generosity and how quickly it’s taken off - within five hours we had £500.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“So far it’s been a lot of friends and family, work colleagues and people we haven’t spoken to for a long time, such as people we went to school with who have seen it shared on Facebook and Twitter.”

What the NHS says:

NHS England has not responded to requests for information on whether CIMT was reguarly provided by the NHS.

What is CIMT?

According to cimt.co.uk, a website produced by physiotherapists who specialise in the area, Constraint Induced Movement Therapy (“CIMT” or “CI Therapy”) is a form of rehabilitation of the arm and hand following a neurological event such as a stroke.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

CIMT is suitable for people with hemiplegia, where one arm is weaker than the other. CIMT involves rehabilitation of the weaker arm while restraining the stronger arm in a light-weight cast. CIMT can make significant improvements that are meaningful and lasting.

The experts claim CIMT has a large body of scientific research behind it, and the treatment has been shown to positively affect not only the hand and arm, but the brain itself.

A constraint induced movement therapy programme is short but intensive. Treatment is provided daily over a period of three to four weeks and led by a specialist physiotherapist or occupational therapist.