Standing for Ryder Morton

Ryder was born in December 2017, and he was perfect, weighing in at 8lb 13oz and just as cute as a button. Mommy and Daddy were head over heels in love. We settled in as a family. When Ryder was 6 months old, Mommy mentioned to a health visitor, when he got weighed, that he still was not holding his head up. We were told not to worry; boys can be a bit lazy.

Eventually, we saw our own health visitor, who also shared our concerns about his delay and referred us to a pediatrician. The doctor told us that Ryder had a condition called Global Developmental Delay, as he was behind his peers in more than two areas.

Fast forward to now, and we are almost at Ryder’s 2nd birthday. He has been seen by a neurologist at Alder Hey and has undergone an MRI and a microarray blood test. We were hopeful that we would get some answers as to why our gorgeous boy had these delays. The long wait for the results was a nightmare for us as parents, but we kept our fingers crossed. The results came back as "normal" for both the MRI and the genetics, so we still have no answers.

The neurologist told us to expect this; she said we may never get an actual diagnosis, only that of GDD.

Ryder is not yet able to sit, crawl, stand, walk, or talk, and his development is that of a 6-month-old. We have worked really hard on getting Ryder to sit, but this has proved difficult, and as yet, Ryder cannot manage to support himself. We have found a center that is willing to work with Ryder and provide a standing aid, which will allow him to bear weight on his legs and gain some control of his trunk, as he is floppy in the middle. The center does assessments every 8 weeks for a 12-month period. At each 8-week review, his progress is monitored, and if he has responded well to the therapy, the frame is adjusted so he has to work a little bit harder. The center has a lot of experience with Global Developmental Delay and is hopeful they can help Ryder gain some independence. However, this therapy is not funded by the NHS, so we are looking to fund a course of treatment. A 12-month course costs £6,920.

We have set our target for £14,000, as we will require ramps to be installed at the house, as Ryder is currently waiting for a wheelchair. We would also love to provide Ryder with a sensory room, as he is not good at playing with toys, but he loves sensory lights.

If we manage to raise more than our target to fund Ryder’s future care and equipment, at £20,000, I will shave my hair 😊

Thank you so much for reading Ryder’s story, and a massive thank you from the bottom of our hearts if you are kind enough to donate. Any amount would really help Ryder get the very best care and treatment that he deserves.

7.5% of all donations to Tree of Hope in relation to this appeal will be allocated to the general charitable purposes of Tree of Hope to cover our core operating costs.

If we raise insufficient funds or surplus funds, the funds will be used, if appropriate, to fund support for our child’s needs in accordance with Tree of Hope’s charitable objectives. If, in those circumstances, we are unable to use all or part of the funds for the benefit of our child in accordance with Tree of Hope’s charitable objectives, any funds that cannot be used will be transferred to the general charitable purposes of Tree of Hope.