For half an hour a day, Teddy Gorman does physiotherapy. For the rest of the day, the three-year-old from Winch Wen cannot get about on his own legs.
On 20 August his mum, Sapphire, took him to Ammanford to try a Trexo, a pair of motorised robotic legs that strap onto a walking frame and move a child through the motion of walking, step by step, so muscles that have never done the work start to learn it.
“After seeing how well he did during his trial, we have so much hope,” she said. “With the right equipment and regular practice, Teddy can build the strength he needs and hopefully one day walk independently.”
What a Trexo does
Teddy has hypotonia, which means low muscle tone, and hypermobile joints. He lives with Sapphire, his dad Ross, a brother of four and two sisters of 19 and 15.
The Trexo bolts to a standard Rifton walking frame. Small motors at the hip and knee take Teddy’s legs through a walking pattern while the frame holds him upright, and the pace and support are adjusted on a tablet. The trial was run with Equinox Physiotherapy, where Teddy has had private physio for two years.
“Rather than half an hour a day of just physio, I could take him for a walk a few times a day in it,” Sapphire said. “That would allow him to practise a walking movement and build up the muscles in his legs while being supported by the machine, something he cannot currently do independently.”
Why it costs £49,999
The price buys the equipment, an upgrade within five years when Teddy outgrows the first set, a five-year warranty, delivery, set-up and a 24-hour helpline. It would be bought outright, not rented.
It is not available through the NHS. “Families currently have to purchase the equipment themselves,” Sapphire said. Teddy has tried other equipment through the NHS, she said, “but it hasn’t helped him progress, so the Trexo feels like our last hope”.
“Nobody can predict how Teddy will develop”
Sapphire is careful about what the family has and hasn’t been told. “Teddy’s NHS physios have never said that he definitely won’t walk. They have always been honest with us that they simply don’t know what the future holds for him.”
That could mean a wheelchair, and Teddy is already under the wheelchair service in Cardiff, or a walking frame. “There has always been that uncertainty because nobody can predict how Teddy will develop. That’s why we want to give him every opportunity we can to build his strength and muscles up.”
Who has helped so far
LBS Builders have given £100, Persimmon Homes West Wales £250 and Principality £100, and the Spud Stop in Morriston is donating at the end of this week. Sapphire meets Local Aid next week, and ALN Connect is helping her organise a fundraiser.
The GoFundMe page has a target of £50,000.
“The main thing I’d like people to know is that Teddy is such a happy little boy,” Sapphire said. “We just want our little boy to walk.”
Donations can be made at gofundme.com/f/help-teddy-take-his-next-steps.
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