Scottish Police Benevolent Fund build ‘HOUSE of PAIN!’
Thanks to our subscribing members and gratefully received donations, we are delighted to announce that we were recently able to assist another member of the Police family who came to us for assistance.
Jack, who is aged nine, is the son of a serving Police officer and suffers from Cerebral Palsy. It’s fair to say, Jack has had a bit of a time of it, having been born prematurely and spent the first four months of his life in hospital. Shortly after his discharge, the family then had to contend with Jack being diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. Mainly affecting his lower limbs, his parents were informed by the medical team that they were looking at the real prospect of Jack being wheelchair bound for the rest of his life.
Thankfully Jack’s parents decided they weren’t going to give up so easily and would do everything they could to afford him as much of a normal childhood possible and provide him the best opportunity to be as mobile and active as possible. So they embarked on an intensive programme over the next few years towards achieving this.
Jack gets regular input from the community physiotherapist and needs twice daily physio sessions from his mum and dad just to keep his lower limbs from getting stiff. But this hard work has paid off with Jack now having enough strength to walk with the aid of splints and a walking frame and not being totally reliant on a wheelchair.
These daily sessions are essential to maintain his current condition, but also mean the family struggle with all the other normal things that a busy family would usually have to contend with.
To try and continue to improve Jack’s strength and mobility it was apparent that he needed somewhere to allow him to focus on his physio without simple distractions. Getting Jack to a local gym to further strengthen his limbs was impracticable due to his age, nor would they be set up to deal with Jack’s specific needs and that’s where the SPBF stepped in!
Being made aware of the Fund’s willingness to assist in supporting its members within the Police family, Jack’s parents made an application to our charity and in just a few simple steps, we were able to inform the family that we would be delighted to provide them with financial support to make Jack’s life that little bit easier.
With our support, the family were quickly able to decide upon a suitable design that met their specific needs and appoint local contractors to construct Jack’s new Gym within the confines of the back garden of the family home.
Now fully constructed and equipped with all the necessary pieces of equipment to assist Jack in continuing his physical development. The ultimate aim and hope is for Jack to be able to walk completely unaided in the future.
Jack knows this is no easy task and will require a lot of work and dedication on his part, but he is determined he will get there and so now tongue in cheek refers to his new Gym as his own personal ‘House of Pain!’
Jack’s parents have expressed their sincere gratitude to the Scottish Police Benevolent Fund and its members for all the support and assistance given. It’s great to see Jack happy at work in his ‘House of Pain’ and we shall be watching with keen interest on his progress towards those big steps.
The SPBF previously produced a series of short videos spotlighting some of our work over the years. In them, officers and their families tell us their stories and what the Scottish Police Benevolent Fund has done for them. You can view these videos by clicking on our blog via the home page. If you know somebody who needs help then contact us.
It costs less than the price of a cup of coffee a month to become a member of the Scottish Police Benevolent Fund, giving you peace of mind that in times of need or hardship, we have your back even long after you retire. If you’d like to join the SPBF, make a donation or raise funds for us please get in touch.