Parents determined to save toddler’s legs

A TODDLER from Clanabogan is preparing for the fight of his life later this month to avoid his legs from being amputated.

James Rea, 18 months, suffers from a rare condition affecting just one in four million births across the world.

It means that his fibula and tibia are shortened and misshaped, his ankle bone is fused together with his heel and his feet are turned inwards.

This has made it hard for James to walk and, unless action is taken, his legs below the knee will not grow in proportion with the rest of his body.

Last year, doctors told his heartbroken parents the devastating news that their son would never walk and that the amputation of his lower limbs was the only way forward.

However, the family are hoping that a limb reconstruction specialist in Liverpool may be able to provide young James with a second chance.

“To be told that your child won’t walk was so devastating for us. It was even harder to digest being told that amputation is the only way forward,” his mother, Vicki, told the UH.

“But James has defied the odds and he’s walking. It’s not like we would walk, but he is trying his best and making real progress.

“A colleague of mine at work then got in touch with a consultant in Liverpool to get a second opinion and see if anything could be done.

“The team there are confident that with a series of operations throughout his childhood and into his teens, they will be able to save his lower limbs.

“James will be able to walk on his own two legs without pain, his feet to the ground and in proportion to his body.

“We want to be able to tell James when he’s older that everything possible was done for him.”

James and his parents are now awaiting a date to travel back to Liverpool. There, the first stage will be to adjust the young boy’s feet to a normal position one leg at a time.

He will then have to undergo more major surgery to his ankle bone. The expectation is that it will take years before an assessment can be made on whether the surgery has been a success overall.

At the weekend, Vicki and her husband, Jason, who also have two other young children, Alex and Katie, set up a GoFundMe page to assist with ther expenses and have already raised upwards on £5,000.

“The specialists are confident that the operations will be a success which is just so fabulous. We have bene told that there’s a 60-70 per-cent success rate,” added Vicki.

“They have carried out similar surgeries for those injured in car crashes.

“A doctor in the United States, who is the pioneer for treatment rather than amputation, is also going to be liaising with the doctors in Liverpool. The great thing is that the facilities available for James are just second to none.

“We have been so overwhelmed by the support received from so many people who are helping us.”

• To donate, please visit

https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-save-james-reas-legs<https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-save-james-reas-legs>