Freddie was just four months old when his parents Chris and Sophie, started to notice that he wasn’t moving his legs as much as other babies, and went to
their GP.
At the age of 6 months, Freddie was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 1, a life limiting condition. His parents were told he might not make his second birthday.
Reeling from the news, they went home and resolved to be strong and get on with life, to make sure they would enjoy every minute with Freddie and give him
the best possible life.
"If Freddie hadn’t come to Treloar’s, I genuinely don’t think he would have been in school, I don’t think he would have achieved half as much.”
Chris, Freddie’s dad
Freddie is now 7 years old and attends Treloar Primary School. When he first arrived, he was using head movements to indicate ‘Yes’ or ‘No’. At Treloar’s specialist staff have supported him to use a communication device to help him have a voice and make a sound.
Sophie says: “it’s life changing for him, he has a voice now.”
Chris says: “coming down in the morning and hearing ‘Good morning Mummy, Good morning Daddy’, is amazing because we never heard it before, it’s
just the best thing, for Freddie it’s amazing.”
Treloar’s specialist staff worked closely with the family to get to know Freddie’s clinical needs and for him to build up trust in the team around him. The staff have a great relationship with him and he’s very affectionate. At Treloar’s care and therapy are integrated into day-today activities within the curriculum.
Having the opportunity to learn to drive his power chair has been great for giving him the independence to explore and to participate.
Sophie says: “Having the support that Treloar’s offer in terms of respiratory physios and the nurses, he has physio technicians with him 24/7, it’s such a safety net for us knowing that in any situation there’s someone there on call who can be with him within seconds.”
“His journey has been amazing, inspirational, he’s grown in confidence, his ability to participate in a classroom environment, his complex health condition has greatly improved since he started here.” Yvette Walker - Specialist Staff Nurse
For Freddie’s family it’s been life changing.
"We cherish every single thing that he does, for us the future looks positive and he's our little super hero."