Little Oscar Cridge is hoping to realise a dream of a lifetime to lead his favourite football team onto the pitch - just months after having life-changing surgery to allow him to walk unaided. The five year-old, who has cerebral palsy, is to lead out his beloved Bristol Rovers onto the Memorial Ground next Saturday, May 7 for its crucial end-of-season game against Scunthorpe.
And Oscar hopes he will be able to stride onto the pitch without using his specialist frame or stick after undergoing a six-hour operation to help him walk unaided for the first time. Football mad Oscar, from Longwell Green, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when he was three years-old, reports Gloucestershire Live.
The condition caused him to suffer from tightness in his legs which meant he couldn’t walk without the help of a special frame. He also struggled to sit down properly and suffered with agonising cramps which disturbed his sleep.
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In January this year Oscar underwent life-changing Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy surgery (SDR) at London’s Portland Hospital. The complex SDR operation saw Oscar’s nerves cut to loosen the tightness in his legs, allowing him to walk
The operation costing £35,000, which was not available on the NHS, was paid for by a huge fundraising campaign, led by musician Daz Sims and an army of supporters. Oscar spent two days in intensive care before being transferred onto a ward and spent the next three weeks undergoing daily gruelling physiotherapy to strengthen his muscles.
"At first after the operation, Oscar said he couldn't feel his legs or toes," said Shaun. "But the feeling came back within a couple of days." After three weeks in London, dad Shaun, mum Emma,33, and Oscar returned home where the plucky youngster continued to wow medics with his progress.
And at the end of March, just 11 weeks after the operation, while at home, Oscar took his first tentative steps without using a frame. Dad Shaun, 39, said: “Oscar still has physio every day at home with us and also visits a physiotherapist twice or three times a week as well as undergoing rehab sessions twice a month.
“He is getting stronger all the time. When he first came out of hospital he said his legs were like jelly.
“But his confidence has really grown and he gets stronger every day, although he does get tired quite easily. Every time I watch him walking about it gives me goosebumps.”
Oscar is aiming to walk out on the pitch with the Bristol Rovers team without his frame or sticks. “He has always been football mad and to walk out on the pitch with his favourite team - wearing their kit - will be a dream come true for him,” added Shaun.
Oscar’s dream is to eventually play football with his friends without the use of his frame or sticks. "That’s his long held ambition.” said Shaun.
“He just wants to run around and play football with his mates, just like any other little boy. The focus now is on building up his strength.
"He may need further procedures in the future but we are not at that point yet.” The fundraising appeal - which saw Daz release a charity Christmas single which got to number 19 in the download charts - raised a massive £60,000 which along with the operation will also cover the ongoing costs of Oscar’s physio and rehabilitation over the next two years.
Anyone who wants to follow Oscar's story can do so at Oscar's Journey to Independence on Facebook and Instagram.
