Young boy given sense of freedom amidst health conditions

Six-year-old Charlie Mcmaster, from Pymore near Bridport, was born premature at just 25 weeks, weighing one pound seven, spending the first eight months of his life in hospital.

Since birth, Charlie has faced a number of life-changing diagnosis’ including a quadriplegia cerebral palsy, epilepsy, a brain bleed, renal failure, kidney failure, as well as having to have heart surgery and additional problems with his eyesight.

Charlie Mcmaster (Image: Steph Mcmaster)

However, this doesn’t stop him from being a ‘happy and cheeky’ chap according to his mum Steph.

She said: “After he was born, he was ventilated, and we spent eight months in hospital in Dorset County Hospital and Southampton General Hospital.

“Many times, we were called in overnight because he was really poorly, and they didn’t think he would make it. He used to have to be resuscitated non-stop because he used to stop breathing all the time.”

Charlie Mcmaster after he was born (Image: Steph Mcmaster)

Some days Charlie would have to be resuscitated ‘up to five times.’

Steph added: “He was so small that I didn’t get to hold him until he was four weeks old and that was a challenge in itself.”

When the youngster was eventually given the all clear to go home, he was still on oxygen and being tube fed and in the winter he would get really sick with chest infections, RSB, and bronchitis which meant he would spend a lot of time in and out of hospital, in intensive care as well.

The first time Charlie went for a walk (Image: Steph Mcmaster)

Steph said: “When he was in Southampton, he had a bleed on the brain and they did say at one point it could result in some sort of disability but at that point, you don’t really know and you’re just getting through each day.

“He couldn’t crawl or stand up or do a lot of those things and he was diagnosed with quadriplegia cerebral palsy.”

Today, Charlie can’t walk or stand independently, or hold his weight, but he will try and walk holding his parent’s hands, however, more recently it’s got worse and he’s at a high risk of his hip dislocating.

Thanks to the Bridport Roundtable and Mencap who donated a combined total of £1,690 to the family to go towards a new specialised tricycle, the six-year-old has been given a new sense of freedom.

Charlie officially receiving the tricycle alongside his mum, Mencap representatives and Round Table members (Image: Steph Mcmaster)

His mum said: “We went out on it the other day. He goes super-fast, and he wants to go out on his own. He really enjoys it. He’s happy, cheeky and he’s a fighter.”

Due to Charlie’s disabilities, he has to have a lot of specialist equipment to help him in his day-to-day life including a wheelchair and specialist seating, and the family are now also working on the house to make it disability friendly.

Steph explained that ‘when you have someone with a disability, everything you need just costs so much more,’ adding, ‘we don’t have lots of money.’

Charlie's first bath with mum and dad (Image: Steph Mcmaster)

She works part time as a community nurse so that she can care for Charlie who is also a student at special educational needs school, Mountjoy in Beaminster, whilst her husband works full-time as a self-employed plumber.

Steph said: “I really wanted to say a massive thank you and make other people aware of these amazing charities - It’s made a massive difference because it takes the stress off of us.”