Step by Step - Help Mason Walk Again

Mason's Story

On November 4th last year our lives were turned upside down

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Mason, our 13-year-old firstborn, has always been sensible, mature, and level-headed. Mason was maturing into a young man that any parent would be proud of. He was surrounded by a great group of friends, excelling at the top of his class, and he had even taken on a paper round to earn some extra money. We were amazed that our 13-year-old had a job and was finding his own way in the world. And then, everything changed.

After a family night out, Mason began to complain of chest pain and weakness in his legs

He tried to stand, but he couldn't - his legs seemed to be paralysed, and they couldn’t take his weight. Panicked, we called 999, and Mason was transferred by ambulance to Royal Berks Hospital. We spent the night in the high-dependency unit and were told that he may lose the ability to breathe overnight. That time was the most worrying of our lives and it was touch and go as to whether he would make it through the night. A terrifying, living nightmare.

The following morning, he was transferred to John Radcliffe Hospital with flashing blue lights, where we were met by a barrage of specialists but no answers as to what was wrong with our little boy.

The hospital became our new home

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For the next seven weeks and following many invasive tests, including multiple MRIs, lumbar punctures, CT scans, ECGs, daily blood tests and plasma exchanges, we received the devastating news that this was not just a virus that was causing Mason’s paralysis, it was a rare and random spinal stroke that would affect him for life and to which there was no cure. Mason might never walk again.

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Mason blew us away with his courage and strength

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He often said, "Pull yourselves together, Mum and Dad." When our thoughts were in the darkest places, Mason's positive demeanour was infectious.

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Following the fantastic services at John Radcliffe Hospital, we were transferred to Stoke Mandeville’s spinal unit for a further eight weeks. The physiotherapy and rehabilitation Mason received there were outstanding and introduced us to a new spinal injury community. We will forever be grateful to the NHS for helping us with this part of our journey.

Now, we are back home, managing Mason's new reality. While his friends play basketball, he sits on the sidelines. His paper round has been taken over by someone who can ride a bike. Returning to school brings physical and mental challenges every day. Through hard work and resilience, Mason can now walk short distances using mobility aids. We would love this trajectory to continue.

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Sadly, there is no more physio available on the NHS, and there is no cure for what has happened to Mason 

The best chance of seeing any notable recovery is through intensive rehab.

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The highest rate of recovery for spinal injuries comes with maximum exposure to physiotherapy in the first two years. We need to approach this window with everything we have.

We are hoping to raise funds to give Mason 2x specialist neuro-physiotherapy sessions per week for as long as possible, giving him the best opportunity to regain as much of his old self as we can. We also hope to acquire some adapted equipment to help him return to his usual activities.

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We hope you can help us give Mason the chance to walk again.

xx

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​Thank you for reading our story.