Family need to raise £13,000 for Derbyshire boy, 8, who has had 112 surgeries

George Appleyard, who attends Whaley Thorns Primary School has quadriplegic cerebral palsy, epilepsy, short bowel disease, bilateral hip dislocation and an abnormal vascular system, among other complications.

He lives with his parents and siblings in Langwith but they were told last year that expensive adaptations would need to be made to the home in order to ensure George could continue to life their safely.

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It was estimated that the extensive refurbishments would cost £86,000 and George’s family were able to access Government support to cover a portion of those costs.

But, because both his parents work, they were left to foot £46,000 themselves.

Claire Rodgers, George’s mum, said that pressure had added an enormous amount of stress on the family.

"We had an initial assessment and they basically said the whole of the downstairs would need doing in one go, in order for George to be able to continue living safely at the home. It’s incredibly stressful because we keep being reminded (by the adaptation team) that we need to secure the funds in”, Claire said.

She added: "We only qualified for basic adaption grant from council as we work but have been told to keep him at home we must adapt the house to meet his need.

“We’ve had amazing support from the community but obviously with the cost of living we’re just not sure where to go next.”

George was born at 28 weeks and one day and was described by his mum as “the most amazing, smiley boy you’ll ever meet”. She said the adaptations, which include a wet room, would help give him the best quality of life possible.

She said: “(The adaptations) would mean everything. It would mean we are able to give George the quality of life that he deserves because he didn’t ask to be disabled and it feels as though he’s being punished because of it. Getting the adaptations would mean he wouldn’t be restricted where he can go and he’d be able to be wherever the family is at all times.”

To make a donation visit: https://www.gofundme.com/f/zzkej-george