Kelly Powell explained she first ‘noticed something wasn’t right’ with her son Leo when he was just five-years-old, however, he only received the correct diagnosis a few months ago.
She had raised concerns about how the young lad was walking at the time but explained it wasn’t investigated further as he was thriving academically.
But Kelly’s fears resurfaced in 2020 when she noticed that her little boy was having difficulty when performing physical activities, which didn’t phase his younger sister.
The carer, 36, was one of the many parents who got her family into Joe Wicks‘ fitness livestreams during lockdown, which put a spotlight on Leo’s continued struggles with his mobility.
Although his younger sister Emmie had no problem with the warmup exercises, it seemed that the schoolboy had some challenges when trying to complete star jumps.
“The workout was something we don’t often do, which is why I was alarmed when we tried it for the first time,” Kelly said.
“He didn’t look like a star. It looked really wrong.”
Brave little Leo now struggles with his mobility and cannot walk long distances (Kennedy News and Media)
Warning signs
Kelly explained her son’s arms and legs were ‘everywhere’, while his sibling, who is 14 months younger, was able to follow the steps in the ‘PE With Joe’ sessions without issue.
As this was also combined with the fact that she had picked up on Leo walking and sitting in ‘strange’ ways, it set alarm bells ringing for the mum.
Kelly recalled how the youngster seemed to have balance issues and would lean to one side as though he was ‘drunk’, while he also often sat with his legs behind his head ‘like a pretzel’.
“Other people couldn’t see it but I could,” she continued. “I could feel something wasn’t right, but the school disagreed.
“I don’t think the paediatrician took him seriously the first time. He said there’s nothing neurologically wrong and that he just had flat feet and should get some special shoes for that.
“The school didn’t help because his problem was not mental and he was doing well academically.”
However, the mum soon realised that Leo’s condition was continuing to deteriorate, and his struggles were now becoming a real danger.
Kelly Powell explained she realised something was wrong after watching her son copy Joe Wicks’ star jumps (Kennedy News and Media)
Four years of back and forth
The schoolboy began falling more often and experienced a number of gnarly injuries over the years, including breaking his front tooth and badly bruising his face.
This proved to be the breaking point for Kelly.
She went on: “He came home with his face bruised, and I thought, I can’t take this anymore. I was panicking.
“I called the doctor and cried on the phone, saying I need somebody to see my son.
“I felt helpless because I didn’t know what to do.”
Four years after she first realised his star jumps were a little lacklustre, Kelly got some answers about why Leo was having so much difficulty.
In February of this year, he was evaluated by a paediatrician and underwent a series of tests – including on his eyes and ears – as well as an MRI scan.
The following month, doctors delivered the ‘heart-sinking’ news that Leo has a rare, incurable condition called Friedreich’s Ataxia.
“I cried night and day, silently screaming to myself thinking how am I going to tell him,” Kelly said.
“How do I tell an 11-year-old he could be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life?”
She said her 11-year-old also walked as though he was ‘drunk’ before being diagnosed with Friedreich’s Ataxia (Kennedy News and Media)
What is Friedreich’s Ataxia?
Affecting at least 1 in every 50,000 people, sufferers usually start developing symptoms before the age of 25, and these only continue to grow gradually worse.
As well as a reduced life expectancy, people who have Friedreich’s Ataxia slowly lose their mobility, speech and heart function.
Sufferers often encounter problems with balance and co-ordination, which results in wobbliness, clumsiness and frequent falls, according to the NHS.
The condition also causes slurred speech, increasing weakness in the legs, difficulty swallowing, and vision loss.
Leo was diagnosed with Friedreich’s Ataxia, as well as scoliosis, kyphosis and peripheral neuropathy – and his mum admitted that she might not have voiced her concerns as early as she did if it wasn’t for Joe Wicks’ workout.
Now aged 11, Leo has limited mobility and can only walk short distances, as otherwise he is overwhelmed by spasms all over his body.
He is on the waitlist for a wheelchair and a walker, but Kelly says without any aids, her lad is left ‘sat at home during half term’ while his pals play out.
This is extra tough for Leo, as he loved being outdoors, heading on long walks and getting up close and personal with wildlife – however, he still dreams of working at a zoo or becoming a vet one day.
“He deals with everything with humour, his brilliant sense of humour is what’s got us through,” Kelly said of her son. “He falls over and laughs.
“He is a good, sweet boy. He likes playing games, loves nature, history, and animals.”
A GoFundMe page has been launched to help fund Leo’s physiotherapy sessions, which Kelly hopes will delay him from being confined to a wheelchair for as long as possible.
Contributions will also assist with the cost of a private medical treatment known as Skyclarys, as well as other therapies that will help improve Leo’s quality of life.
The fundraiser has already earned more than £2,500 in donations.
Featured Image Credit: Kennedy News and Media
Olivia Burke
Simple finger test you can do at home to see if you’re suffering from serious health problem
The test only takes a few seconds and can be completed at home
There’s a simple finger test you can do at home to see if you could be suffering from a serious health issue – and it couldn’t be easier.
It can be difficult to spot the signs of a serious health condition, which is why it’s so important that if you do notice anything unusual for you, it’s discussed with a doctor.
Of course, most of us know to look for the more noticeable signs, such as lumps, pain or changes in appetite, but there are other, more subtle changes that can sometimes indicate something isn’t quite right.
In fact, there’s one test you can do yourself at home – and it’s super simple.
You can do the check yourself at home (Getty Stock Photo)
Dr. Ahmed, who also goes by @dra_says on TikTok, explained how to perform the Schamroth Window test, which detects finger clubbing.
‘Clubbed fingers’ refers to the way the ends of your fingers appear.
In clubbed fingers, the tips bulge and may become warm and discoloured, meanwhile the nail also curves down and appears like an upside-down spoon.
The change can indicate serious problems with the lungs or heart, so if you notice it, it’s important to seek medical advice.
The test takes seconds to complete (Getty Stock Photo)
“You can all do this one test at home to see if you’ve got any serious heart or lung problems,” said Dr. Ahmed, before showing an image of normal fingers, compared to clubbed fingers.
“With clubbed fingers, you get a very round, bulb like fingertip.
“They can be very white and the base of the nails can be very shiny.
“The exact pathophysiology of a cause of finger clubbing is not fully known, however, the consensus at the moment is generally that it is down to some sort of chronically low oxygen levels.
“Clubbing is something we assess for very carefully on a physical examination.
“But it can have some serious causes. One of the causes is lung cancer… bronchiectasis, cystic fibrosis or a lung abscess.”
Dr. Ahmed went on to explain that a number of heart conditions can also cause the fingers to appear clubbed.
Clubbed fingers can indicate heart or lung issues (Getty Stock Photo)
How to check for clubbed fingers
To perform the simple test, Dr. Ahmed advised people to bring the fingertips of their two index fingers together so both nails are touching.
Kind of like if you’re making a love heart sign with your fingers.
There should be a small window at the base of both the fingernails.
“If you think you’ve got finger clubbing, especially if it’s new, you must get it checked out,” said Dr. Ahmed.
Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Photos
Lucy Devine
Mum ‘blamed herself’ after being told ‘son will age backwards and become baby-like’ due to rare condition
His family worry he won’t survive the next decade
A mum ‘blamed herself’ after she was told her ‘son will age backwards and become baby-like’ due to a rare condition.
At five-years-old, Jayden Skidmore, 11, was diagnosed with Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy – a condition that weakens the skeletal and heart muscles.
And by the age of seven, he could no longer walk due to muscle weakness in his legs. While the life expectancy for a child with this condition is 22 years, his mum, Jade, and stepdad, Sean, worry he won’t make it to 20.
Jade cares for her son full-time and explained she had a ‘normal’ pregnancy and thought everything was fine when he hit early milestones like crawling and walking.
But looking back, she thinks he started having problems with his motor skills between the ages of three and five.
Jayden was diagnosed at 5. (SWNS)
“He couldn’t walk properly,” the mum said. “When he got to four, he just kept falling over, all the time. We were so worried.”
The couple decided to take Jayden to see a child development specialist, with the results of a blood test in September 2018 finding his creatine levels were at 1600 units-per-litre.
It was explained the normal level was supposed to be in the ‘hundreds’. Along with his symptoms, it was enough to diagnose the youngster with Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy.
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That same month, Jade had a genetic blood test, which confirmed she’d unknowingly passed down the gene to her son.
“I just thought it was my fault,” she said. “I really blamed myself.
“But it is what it is – there’s no way we could’ve known.”
No longer able to walk, Jayden takes daily steroids for his muscles, and heart medication for his weakened cardiovascular system. He’s been given a decade left to live and has been told he might have significant heart problems as he does get older.
The family hope to take him to Florida. (SWNS)
“Deterioration usually starts with the legs, then travels up the body,” Jade added.
“We’ve been told he could go at any age.”
The family are now hoping to take Jayden on a ‘trip of a lifetime’ to Florida in the states, where they hope he can also meet his hero, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.
Sean is taking on one of the ‘world’s toughest challenges’ (involving rock climbing, swimming and sprinting) to help raise funds.
“Time is of the essence – we want Jayden to live the best life he can, while he’s still here,” he said.
With Sean preparing for the ‘extremely demanding’ physical challenge to fundraise for the big trip, the young lad is a ‘huge motivator’ for him.
The family are hoping to take him swimming with dolphins as well as scuba diving and adapted rock climbing in Florida. But meeting the Rock really is the big hope.
Sean said: “It only takes one person in his circle to flag it up to him.
“I just want to get the word out there, as much as possible. Jayden may not be around for much longer, and I know this would be his dream.”
Featured Image Credit: SWNS
Topics: Health, Parenting, UK News, Dwayne Johnson
Jess Battison
Man who couldn’t eat food for two years due to rare condition still faces daily struggles
He began to notice something was wrong in 2017 when he ‘suddenly’ started to experience difficulty swallowing while eating
A man with a rare condition that left him unable to eat has opened up about the struggles he has faced.
Liam Findley first began to notice something was wrong in 2017 when he ‘suddenly’ started to experience difficulty swallowing while eating, although it began with just food – the condition worsened to the point that even drinking water became difficult.
He told LADbible: “It came along unexpectedly in 2017. I normally ate – I enjoyed eating – but then suddenly, my food pipe became like a blocked drain.
“It came on suddenly, but it got worse gradually. I could swallow normally with some difficulty at first, but then thicker things – like chips or bread – I couldn’t have anymore and then eventually it was everything down to water.
LADbible
“I kind of had to resort to living off smoothies and high-fat soup, and when I would have that and water as well only so much would go down, so I ended up losing lots of weight and became quite weak.”
Liam ended up losing around two stone and, with his condition not improving, he visited his GP where he was initially given medication for acid reflux.
But when that didn’t help he had to go to various hospitals for further tests – including having a camera put down his throat on more than one occasion.
“They could see that my food pipe was ballooning up,” he went on. “They could see that the entrance to my stomach was just not opening and my food pipe, normally it would convulse and put down, but it wasn’t doing that.”
Liam was eventually diagnosed with achalasia – a rare disorder of the food pipe (also known as the oesophagus), which can make it difficult to swallow food and drink.
Supplied
In Liam’s case, doctors decided to operate and in 2019 he underwent an operation called Heller’s Myotomy in which the muscle at the entrance to the stomach is cut allowing food and drink to pass through.
However, even after undergoing the surgery Liam still struggles to eat as normal.
He said. “I can pretty much eat whatever I want as long as I have plenty of water to wash it down. But I avoid thicker foods, because I also get spasms in my stomach. It’s like a crushing pain in my stomach, where my nerves are kind of confused and it’s just really really painful, it’s like being winded. That happens when I have thicker things that might get stuck in my food pipe, so I still avoid some food.”
Alongside that, Liam has to drink ‘lots and lots’ of water at meal times to get his food down, which presents its own problems.
He went on: “I can’t go for a walk without needing the toilet and I have to have dinner around six o’clock and then have nothing after that or I’ll be up all night needing the toilet.”
Supplied
And it’s not just having to pee more that has caused an issue for Liam; due to having to knock back so much water, Liam has ended up with water poisoning – or water intoxication – twice, which can be fatal.
Liam explained: “Water intoxication wasn’t something I really anticipated because it had not been mentioned to me and I was drinking two or three, or more litres, per meal.
“It was back in January when I had my first water intoxication incident.
“My fingers were going tingly and I was losing feeling in my feet and hands and it was travelling up through my body. I went pale, I was lightheaded and was wrenching – my body wanted to vomit but because of my surgery I’m not able to vomit – it was a horrible state to be in.
“I rushed off to hospital and they had to give me electrolytes via IV drips to bring my electrolytes back into balance.”
Following his experience, Liam said he was more careful about his water intake, but on a trip to Rome a few months later, amid a heatwave, he once again accidentally drank too much water and had to go to hospital.
Supplied
“It is alarming when it happens,” he said. “Because something as simple as having water, which I need to have food, knowing that that can do me that much harm makes me very wary – especially now having had it twice.”
Liam now keeps strict limits on his water intake, which in turn means he has to eat smaller, more nutrient dense, meals, as he can’t handle eating larger portions.
While still coming to terms with his condition, Liam says he found an outlet in writing and this year published his first children’s book titled The Doom Town Dummies – you can find out more about the book, or buy a copy here.
“I was writing this while I was so weak – at the start of my achalasia – and I found that writing was a nice means of escapism,” he said.
“It was nice to escape through writing. It’s not a conclusion to the journey – but at the point where I can eat again, it’s nice to put this book out and have it as a marker of what I’ve been through.”
Featured Image Credit: LADbible/supplied
Claire Reid
Six symptoms of ‘extremely contagious’ virus as Brits are urged to stay at home
The virus is actually one of the most common stomach bugs in the UK
An ‘extremely contagious’ virus appears to be sweeping the UK at the moments as Brits are being urged to stay at home if they have these six symptoms.
Technically, it’s not even winter yet and it looks like the ‘winter vomiting bug’ has arrived early.
The truth is that you can get it at any time of the year, but it’s more common in winter.
There are a rise in cases (Getty Stock Images)
What is norovirus?
What we’re talking about here is norovirus, which is an ‘extremely contagious virus that spreads through contact and can cause sickness and diarrhoea for those infected’.
“Often referred to as the ‘winter vomiting bug’ cases of Norovirus soar over autumn and winter as more people spend time indoors, in close proximity to each other,” Dr John Burke, chief medical officer at AXA Health, said.
While symptoms can be pretty rough, norovirus remains as one of the most common stomach bugs in the UK.
Norovirus symptoms
Experts have encouraged you stay at home if you have these symptoms (Getty Stock Images)
As reported by the Metro, you need to look out for these six symptoms:
Nausea
Vomiting
Diarrhoea
High temperature
Headaches
Exhaustion
Norovirus treatment
Health experts suggest avoiding contact with others for at least 48 hours until your symptoms improve.
Staying at home when you’re ill, in general, is a good way to stop the spread of any virus.
I just got flashbacks from lockdown, so we’re just going to leave that one there.
“Try to keep your meals bland while you’re unwell with norovirus, to avoid further upsetting your stomach,” Dr Burke advised.
“If you are struggling to keep food down, try small amounts of easily digestible foods such as toast and crackers.
‘Rest is essential for a quick recovery’ (Getty Stock Images)
“With any illness that causes sickness, it’s really important to maintain fluid levels while unwell to prevent dehydration.
“Our bodies lose a lot of fluids through vomiting and diarrhoea therefore, you must be regularly drinking clear fluids and electrolytes when you are unwell with norovirus.
“When infected with norovirus, rest is essential for a quick recovery. It’s best to ensure that you are giving your body adequate time (a minimum of 48 hours) to rest and recover from the virus before returning back to work or school.”
Norovirus cases are rising
Amy Douglas, epidemiologist at UKHSA, explained: “The half-term school break is likely to have interrupted the upward trend we’ve been seeing recently in norovirus levels, but cases are likely to rise again as we head towards Christmas.”
She added: “Washing your hands with soap and warm water and using bleach-based products to clean surfaces will also help stop infections from spreading.”
