A boisterous baby boy now needs round-the-clock care after suffering a series of devastating strokes. Little Blake Hanchett first fell ill on his first birthday.
He went on to suffer at least another four strokes and spent months in hospital, reports YorkshireLive. Now 17 months old he is mentally and physically disabled, unable to walk and talk.
Blake needs round-the-clock care, including being fed through a tube and having daily physiotherapy. His mum Kelly said: "I am still learning how to care for him. There's no disabled people in our family, so this is a new world to us."
Grandmother Janet first spotted something was wrong when she suddenly noticed one of Blake's arms was floppy. His mum Kelly, 29, rushed to the scene in five minutes by which time he had deteriorated even further.
He then suffered from at least four more strokes and spent the next 16 weeks at Leeds General Infirmary. On July 13, he was finally allowed to return to his home in Pocklington, East Yorkshire, where he lives with his mum, dad Chris and older sister Vienna, four.
Doctors believe Blake has a genetic condition and was born with narrow carotid arteries, located on each side of the neck, and further narrowed blood vessels that can't be treated. He also has dystonia, a movement disorder that causes movement spasms and contractions.
Kelly said Vienna has adapted to the situation "really well" and "understands that he is not like other kids". She said: "She sings to him, gives him cuddly toys and says she wants to play with him. It's not how we planned this at all. In a way, we are grieving him because we lost what he was, and wish they were how they used to be."
Blake's auntie Samantha Munby will be doing a bungee jump to help the family raise money for equipment. Samantha said: "I am pretty petrified of doing a bungee jump, and it is something I have always said I will never, ever do. However, for Blake and his family I will cast aside my fears and take the plunge, or probably be pushed because the fear I experience will be nothing compared to what Blake’s family continue to go through each day."
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