Help Little Liam Walk

I am starting this campaign to give a special little boy a very special gift this Christmas. A gift that will benefit him for the rest of his life and alleviate the untold pain suffering he has had to endure so far. The gift is the ability to walk without pain and to be able to run and play like every little boy should. This is little Liam’s story:

Little Liam (2) was born with Amniotic Band Syndrome on both his legs, which occurs when the foetus becomes entangled in fibrous string-like amniotic bands in the womb, restricting blood flow and affecting the baby’s development. This condition has also led to Liam’s feet being bent inwards (commonly referred to as “club feet”).

From 1 week old, Liam was given Ponsetti treatment, during which the feet and ankles are manipulated and bent/forced into the correct position, before they place in casts from the diaper down just past the toe. This treatment is requires weekly repetition where the cast are removed, the feet and anklespushed further into the required positions before being placed in new casts. An extremely painful experience for a small baby to endure.

Unfortunately the treatment proved to be ineffective due to the severity of Liam’s condition and he has subsequently undergone two very painful operations in an attempt to remedy the condition.

During the first operation in September 2015, all tendons in Liam's toes, bridge of feet and heels were severed and pins were placed in each foot before a cast was applied on each foot, up to the leg.

Two weeks later, Baby Liam had his second operation and but due to an infection, Doctors had to remove one of the pins from Liam's foot. They used the remaining pins to pull Little Liam's feet outwards and up to straighten in an attempt to straighten his feet, after which a new cast was applied.

Although the treatment thus far has yielded some improvement, Liam will need one more operations, a tendon transplant, if he has any hope of being able to walk without pain one day.

So far Liam’s parents have worked tirelessly to raise the funds that have paid for the previous operations at St Georges Hospital in Port Elizabeth, which is a private hospital, but have run out of all resources to fund the final surgery. Little Liam lives with his family in South Africa where state healthcare is available to those who cannot afford private health insurance. However, the state hospitals are not equipped to perform the operation so this is not an option either.Liam’s parents have tried to arrange insurance to allow for treatment in the, much better equipped private hospitals, but due to the fact that Liam’s condition is “pre-existing” they have been refused by every insurer.

It is estimated that approximately ZAR120 000 (€8,000/£6,850/$8500) will be needed to fund the final surgery. I ask that you please consider contributing towards this campaign with whatever amount you can spare, regardless of how small. We hope to plan Liams surgery for February 2017 and any contribution you could make towards making this possible would be greatly appreciated. I will be sure to send updates on his progress and recovery and you can read more about Liam on the facebook page his Mum has set up: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009670536242&fref=ts