A four-year-old boy with cerebral palsy eagerly walked on his own, without splints or anyone providing support. Up and down he went—a short moment after a major surgery.
3-Year-Old Ronnie Leys Already Back on His Feet After a Life-Changing Operation
Ronnie Leys, from Saffron Walden, Essex, is a fan of West Ham United, a football team based in Stratford, East London. Seeing him cheer for his favorite team with a big smile, you’d never believe this boy’s in so much pain.
Little Ronnie suffers from cerebral palsy, which causes him to trip, fall, and tumble. At birth, his brain was severely damaged because of the umbilical cord tightly wrapped around his neck, which resulted in an emergency C-section delivery.
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The doctors ordered he undergo selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) to recede the life-threatening symptoms of his disease, more so help him walk normally. However, the special surgery wasn’t available at the National Health Service (NHS), where comprehensive operations are supposedly free. As a result, Ronnie’s parents Steve, 31, and Clare, 36, began soliciting funds to cover for the $40,000 hospital bill.
Thankfully, they gathered enough for the operation to be done, and in October 2018, the 3-year-old’s life was changed.
After the surgery, Ronnie’s parents were told the boy will have to spend the next 18 months in physical therapy to assist his recovery. But just three months later, the football lover is back on his feet!
To everyone’s surprise, Ronnie stood up and eagerly walked without the help of splints or his attendants. The boy was so happy, you could see him smiling and laughing the entire time.
The heartwarming moment was all captured by Steve, who uploaded the footage on Twitter last January 2019. Instantly, the “little fighter” made a fan base of his own!
“Kids like him always put things in perspective the way they just deal with adversity and carry on fighting like it’s no big deal,” says one of Ronnie Leys’s fans, Matt Prior. “Moments like this, make you appreciate how lucky we are to be their parents and be in a position to help them out, [the] best [way] we can.”
Indeed, Ronnie is a true hero, who can still sport a beautiful smile despite the ugly truth brought about by his condition, reminding us all that there’s no problem ever too big. Well done, brave young man!
