Like all young children, Ben has a dream. His dream is to play football for England. What sets Ben apart from many other little boys and girls is that Ben has cerebral palsy, and Tory cuts to the NHS threatened to cut his dreams to shreds. Please sign this petition to demand that NHS CEO Simon Stevens takes responsibility for reinstating life-altering cerebral palsy treatment on the NHS.
Ben endured painful physiotherapy and a tough exercise regime to beat the odds and start walking independently. This hard work was set to be rewarded when he was put on the NHS waiting list for selective dorsal rhizotomy treatment to further improve his mobility. But after an 18-month wait filled with hope and expectations, Tory cuts meant that the surgery was no longer available.
Despite this devastating blow, Ben’s story had a happy outcome. Thanks to generous public donations, his family were able to pay for private surgery. However, many of the one-in-four-hundred children diagnosed with cerebral palsy will now live the nightmare that Ben temporarily faced, refused treatment and left with limited mobility and reduced quality of life.
Please sign this petition to demand that selective dorsal rhizotomy treatment be once again made available on the NHS, and that CEO Simon Stevens takes responsibility for providing a quality health service for people with cerebral palsy.
