CEREBAL Palsy is a condition that is believed to limit physical ability; however, one young boy has proven that this is not the case.
Seven-year-old Thomas Harrison from Oakdale was diagnosed with cerebral palsy aged four, after years of trying to diagnose his condition. Doctors pinpointed it to damage to his brain from sepsis when he was aged just three months.
Thomas has been unable to stand on one leg and had to use a splint in the evenings and attend weekly physiotherapy classes, his physiotherapist was considering the possibility of putting his leg in a plaster cast to stretch the muscles.
His parents tried taking him to various sports as they knew that physical exercise was the best form of treatment. He tried football, rugby, swimming and more but didn’t like them.
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Mum, Laura Harrison, said: “We heard Devils had a good rep and he wanted to give kick boxing a try. I was really nervous as I felt like I was setting him up to fail he couldn’t stand on his one leg and kick boxing is all about standing on one leg.
“But he wanted to try it and he knows his own mind.”
Thomas began his classes at the end of January this year and his family set small goals for him.
“They have a loyalty scheme, if you attend six classes, you get a free t-shirt. So, we used that as a goal for him,” added Mrs Harrison.
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He attends two sessions a week, each for one hour. This week, Thomas received his orange belt.
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“I felt really good, I didn’t expect it,” said Thomas.
“I’m so proud because I worked hard,” he added.
His mum added: “I’ve never seen a smile like it.”
Thomas’ improvement has been noticed by everyone. Mrs Harrison said: “I’m just amazed at what can be achieved in such a short space of time.”
She added: “The school have been good with him, but I used to get calls all the time that he had fallen, now I don’t get as many and he has the ability to play with his friends.”
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It has proven to be a big difference to his schooling and his parents work life too.
She added: “Work have been great, allowing me time to get him to his appointments, the same with his school.
“He used to have physio once a week and as it was during school hours, we’d have to miss work and school to go. Now he has appointments every six months.”
Mrs Griffiths used his sports days to highlight the change in his confidence and ability: “In his school sports day last year, he couldn’t do some of the races and got upset about it. This year, he did the relay race and came second.”
Medical professionals have also been shocked by the change in Thomas, with him being discharged from physiotherapy as long as he keeps up his work and the consultant at his last appointment saying: "I should send everyone to do tae-kwon-do."
Owner of The Devil’s Lair martial arts gym in Oakdale, Rob Taylor, said that Thomas is treated no differently to other members and trains in normal classes.
Mr Taylor is delighted with Thomas’ progress and how their sessions include cardio warm-ups, stretching and plyometrics, all thingswhich have helped improve Thomas’ strength in his legs.
“The enthusiasm from Thomas is infectious and he has improved his muscular strength.
“We tried to help him by saying to stand on his strong leg and kick with the weaker one, and this has worked.”
Thomas said: “I think I’ve improved really well.”
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Mr Taylor added: “We have elite fighters here and two girls who have trained here for 10 years are going to the Olympics next year and this is just as satisfying as that.”
“It is a heart-warming story of how a seven-year-old has been helped by martial arts.”
Mrs Harrison said that when she was talking about him being featured in South Wales Argus, Thomas said: “People will see that if you’ve got a bad leg or arm, you can still do it.”
Thomas hopes that his story can inspire other children and adults with cerebral palsy and other conditions to try to do what they can.
He said: “You should have a try and work hard.”
Thomas’ long-term goal is to go to the Paralympics as they are including tae-kwon-do.
“I want to go to the Paralympics and win a gold medal. I want to buy a car.”
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