“Tom is really funny and very brave and wants to be involved in everything that’s going on. He is a happy, determined little boy,” says his mum Maria.
But sadly, Tom has quadriplegic cerebral palsy: both his arms, both his legs and his torso are affected, and he is severely physically disabled.
Tom was diagnosed before his first birthday and discovering that their baby son would face a lifetime of disability was heartbreaking for Maria and husband Terry. But, Maria says:
“As time goes on, the worst case scenario becomes something you can deal with. And we’ll never forget how fortunate we are that our little boy can speak, because many children with quadriplegic cerebral palsy aren’t able to.”
Tom finds it extremely hard to control his arms and legs, has a lack of balance and suffers from muscle stiffness and weakness. He uses a wheelchair and we’ve been told it is unlikely that he will ever be able to walk unaided.”
