By Sarah Curran
A DUNDONALD mother has launched a fundraiser to help her seven year-old son fulfil his dream of walking.
When Gail McGinn’s son Jamie came in from a day of playing outdoors with his friends declaring he wished he could walk, she said her heart broke.
Jamie was born with RYR1 congenital myopathy, a form of muscular dystrophy, which affects the muscles in his torso and means his mobility is limited.
He currently uses a wheelchair to get about and despite his disability, enjoys playing football and spending time in the park with his friends.
However, on hearing her child’s wish, Gail decided she would set up a fundraiser in hopes of purchasing specialised walking aids for her son that are not available through NHS treatment, to help improve his quality of life and help him run and play, like other children.
She is hopeful to raise £6,000 over time with various upcoming fundraisers in the pipeline and an abseil down the Europa in Belfast. The funds raised will be used to purchase a MyWay Lecky Pedal.
The 30 year-old explained she was ‘very over-protective’ of her son and was usually cautious of letting him out to play independently, but during the good spell of weather she allowed him to leave the house to play, along with his older sister Faith.
“He was coming back and telling me how much he had enjoyed himself and wants to do it again, which I was happy enough with because he has been safe the last few times,” Gail said.
“But he came back to me the other day and said ‘mum I just wish I was able to walk’ and that was heart breaking.
“He is such a happy-go-lucky boy and he might be shy at first but as you get to know him he is so witty and funny – so to hear him say that really broke my heart.”
Gail continued: “I started to think about what I could do to help. I’m a low-income single mum with two children and I am struggling to keep a job at the minute because of all the appointments I have to go to with my son.
“This week alone I have had three appointments.” Gail explained that she had been reluctant to fundraise, saying she was a ‘very proud’ woman who did not like to ask for money.
“I don’t like doing this but when my son came in the other day saying he wished he could walk I thought, there is stuff out there that is suitable for him to walk,” she added.
“I am a single working mother who has always independently provided for my son’s needs but this sort of specialist equipment goes beyond my financial means and has led me to try fundraising and to do charity events to make it a possibility,” she said, adding that the specialist equipment was beyond her financial reach.
Gail said her son was very active and enjoyed playing football with his friends by crawling on the floor, but said one of his big dreams was to climb Cave Hill. However Gail said she didn’t think she could push him in his wheelchair up the walk.
But, she recently heard about a WCK Backpack, which enables individuals with disabilities such as Jamie’s, to access hiking trails. She hopes to someday access the equipment to help him achieve his goal.
While the specialist walking equipment Gail is looking into is age appropriate for Jamie and will enable him to walk by supporting his waist, she also hopes in the future to look at a ReWalk Exoskeleton, costing £150k, when he is fully grown.
“This equipment is not just a purchase, it is a vital necessity that will significantly improve my son’s quality of life and enable him to thrive. I am reaching out for the chance to give him the care he deserves.”
To donate to Gail’s fundraiser, go to: justgiving.com/ crowdfunding/gail-mcginn-2?utm_medium=CF&utm_sour ce=EM
