Fun day has a serious target.Byline: By Liz Hands Health Correspondent Match to raise cash for cerebral palsy cerebral palsy (sərē`brəl pôl`zē), disability caused by brain damage before or during birth or in the first years, resulting in a loss of voluntary muscular control and coordination. research A mother whose son has cerebral palsy is organising a charity football match to raise cash for pioneering research being carried out in the region into the condition. Just three hours after Alison Baker's twin boys were born, one of them suffered a seizure. Diagnosed with cerebral palsy, Colin is now four but cannot walk, speak or sit up by himself. Determined to help her son and others with the condition, 30-year-old Alison from Newbrough, near Hexham, is holding a football match in her village to donate to the Children's Foundation, which is supporting groundbreaking research being carried out by Professor Janet Eyre at Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary The Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI), in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom, was opened on 11 July 1906 by Edward VII on ten acres of Town Moor given by the Corporation and Freemen. . Prof Eyre is leading a research team in a project to isolate stem cells from umbilical cord blood umbilical cord blood Transplantation A source of primitive and stem cells that can be used to reconstitute BM destroyed by aplastic anemia or by RT or chemotherapy for CA, lymphoproliferative malignancies. See Bone marrow transplantation, Stem cell therapy. from premature babies and test their ability to become brain cells. "If babies are born prematurely, there is a high risk of them being brain damaged," said Prof Eyre. "You can test for damage straight away through the soft spot. "If there is a problem, then what we are working towards is being able to repair that with the baby's own cells. But, we are a long way off from even clinical trials at the moment, so it is not something that is going to happen overnight, but could theoretically be used in all types of brain damage." Professor Eyre is hoping to put any money raised towards employing a new scientist and running costs running costs npl [of business] → gastos mpl corrientes [of car] → gastos mpl de mantenimiento running costs npl [of business of pounds 50,000 to pounds 60,000 a year. "Alison is an amazing a·maze v. a·mazed, a·maz·ing, a·maz·es v.tr. 1. To affect with great wonder; astonish. See Synonyms at surprise. 2. Obsolete To bewilder; perplex. v.intr. lady," she said. "She's very driven." Yesterday, Alison said: "As a mother, you could want someone to come along and say `Yes, I can help. I can make everything OK tomorrow.' I know that's not going to happen. But if we can fund research which helps someone else, it will have been worth it. "It will be girls against boys in an adults match and we might have a children's one beforehand. It will just be a really fun, community day." Anyone who wants to sponsor or play in the charity football match, due to take place at 1pm on May 30, can contact Alison on (01434) 674778. |
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