Seven-year-old boy who falls over due to rare condition needs 'life-changing' surgery say family

  • Meridian

  • ITV Meridian's Richard Slee has been speaking to the Honeyfield family from Bournemouth

The family of a seven-year-old boy from Bournemouth who walks on tip toes and frequently falls over due to a rare condition say they are desperate to raise enough money so he can undergo life-changing surgery.

Harri Honeyfield suffered brain damage when he was starved of oxygen at birth, and spent three weeks in hospital.

He was later diagnosed with cerebral palsy, global development delay and epilepsy.

He also has spasticity in all of his limbs and his gross motor functions are severely impaired, which affects his balance and coordination, and makes it extremely challenging for him to move around normally.

Harri as a baby with parents Andrea and Simon Honeyfield. Credit: ITV Meridian

Harri has been offered the chance to have Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR) surgery which would permanently remove the spasticity in his legs, but the NHS says that he doesn't qualify for the treatment.

It means that Harri's family and friends are desperately trying to raise £50,000 needed for the surgery.

Mum Andrea says "He's a bit of a whirlwind.

"He doesn't understand keeping himself safe.

"He want's to be active, he wants to run and jump and do the things that all the other children do, and because he walks on tiptoes a lot he tends to fall quite often.

"In the last month or so he's been to A&E twice because he's fallen and hit his head."

  • Harri often falls over due to the spasticity in all of his limbs

Harri's dad Simon Honeyfield has designed a website to explain Harri's situation.

"I put some photos and videos of him to show people his personality, so it's not just someone donating money for no reason, we want people to fall in love with him," he said.

"It (surgery) will keep him safe which is the biggest thing because that's a real worry all the time.

"It's just quite stressful just having him walk around anywhere, everything looks like a danger."

  • Harri's mum Andrea Honeyfield

Posting on the Hope4Harri Just Giving page, his family say: "He has already done the hard work to get him in the best shape for surgery and is ready to go.

"But we need your help to make it happen.

"Please help us to give our beautiful, determined little boy this opportunity."

In a statement a spokesperson for NHS South West said: "We are unable to comment on individual cases but there is a clear policy and clinical guidelines in place to ensure the safe, fair, and equitable treatment for those diagnosed with Spasticity in Cerebral Palsy. These are in line with the latest NICE Guidance."

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