Help Harry Get Back to Toronto

Wilsons would like to share their support for Jo Stanesby, a former employee, and her family. Jo worked for our Accounts Department between 1997 and 2005 where she was thought of in high regard by all of her colleagues and the company's Directors.

Jo's son, Harry, 3, was born two months premature and a routine brain scan during his time in the neonatal intensive care unit discovered that he had an upper motor neuron leision which falls under the umbrella of cerebral palsy. Since he was six months old, Harry has been having physiotherapy, but unfortunately he struggled to retain the muscle memory required to master crawling and other types of movement.

However, in August this year (2016), Jo and her partner Mark were introduced by a friend at one of Harry's groups to Health in Motion based in Toronto, Canada. They managed to self-fund an initial trip out there for four weeks of intensive re-education therapy with some amazing results.

Harry is now able to get up into a sitting position from a laying position and then transfer himself onto his knees and then up into a crawling position and actually crawl. This is a little boy who could only sit for a few seconds unaided and would 'commando crawl' everywhere, dragging his legs behind him as they just wouldn't work.

After just one four week therapy session, Harry can play as any normal child should do by crawling around and stay sitting up all by himself. Each course of four week therapy costs around £5,000, but with flights and accommodation, the total cost is closer to £10,000. Over their next two visits, the consultant aims to get Harry able to stand and walk unaided and to teach his parents a daily therapy program to achieve Harry's goals.

They have set a fundraising target of £20,000 in order to fund Harry's next two visits. There will be several events to try and reach this target including a balloon race and a fund raising night with an auction and a raffle. Jo herself and two friends will complete a sky dive on 30th October in order to help raise funds for the trip back to the Health in Motion clinic.

Details of all fundraising events can be found on Harry's Facebook page and you can donate directly to the cause by visiting his Just Giving page here.