THE Aaron Lewis Foundation has helped to fund a robotic rehab trainer to help a young man with cerebral palsy and dystonia.
David Dempsey, 22, suffered an infection shortly after he was born that resulted in damage to part of his brain and left him unable to walk or talk.
His mum Caron told the Southend Echo: “David is cognitively like any other person, the area of his brain that was affected is very small, so it’s only movement he suffers with.”
But his condition means he needs daily physiotherapy and a brain implant to reduce painful spasms.
His family and friends formed the Help David Walk campaign in a bid to raise £25,000 to purchase a Made for Movement Innowalk trainer.
The device helps those with complex physical disabilities to exercise while being supported.
Caron, from Leigh on Sea, Essex, then approached ALF trustee Steve Fraser in February this year to ask for support. And once shown the supporting clinical evidence, he and the other trustees agreed to match-fund the campaign’s amazing efforts.
Now, David, who attends specialist Treloar College in Hampshire, and his family have taken delivery of the Innowalk. Caron said: “I went along on set-up day. It was David’s first time using the trainer since his trial in March 2019, so it was pretty effortful for him.”
Steve added: “The ALF is delighted to have been able to support David and hope the trainer will make a difference.”