BOTOX COULD LET ME WALK   
26 January 2007
By Natalie Walker, From www.dailyrecord.co.uk

A LITTLE girl suffering from cerebral palsy is to be given anti-wrinkle treatment botox - to help her walk.

Five-year-old Lucia Thompson's parents learned about the breakthrough therapy from a TV show.

Their GP put her name forward and she was accepted for treatment by Edinburgh's Sick Kids Hospital.

The course of jabs for Lucia, who has a twin sister Caitlin, will start within the next few weeks.

Dad Mark, 30, a security firm manager, said: "It has been our dream for her to be able to run about and play with Caitlin and their pals.

"Lucia was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when she was two and has never been able to walk properly.

"She always tries her best to keep up but it's tough for her. It is upsetting to see, as you so want the best for your kids.

"We were stunned when we saw what a difference these botox injections could make.

"We saw how the treatment had helped kids do things for the first time, like hold pens and run, things they'd never been able to do before."

Botox works by blocking the signal which nerves are trying to pass to the muscles.

The jabs have been found to reduce muscle tightness in children with Lucia's condition - which can affect development, co-ordination and control - making it easier to move about.

US researchers discovered more than eight out of 10 children with cerebral palsy had noticeable improvements in symptoms after the injections. These ranged from walking more easily to being able to write and even being able to talk for the first time.

For Lucia, treatment will mean making a round-trip of almost 100 miles from her home in East Kilbride, Lanarkshire, once every six months.

She lives just eight miles from Glasgow's Yorkhill Hospital, which also carries out the botox therapy.

But the Thompson's health trust NHS Lanarkshire said the specialist there could not take on any more patients.

About one in 400 Scots has cerebral palsy. A six-year-old Aberdeen girl is among those who are already being helped by botox.

Megan Tucker was diagnosed with the condition when she was just 18 months old. Doctors feared then that she would never be able to walk.

But she has taken her first steps since starting the treatment, to the delight of parents Scott and Kelly.

Scott, 32, said: "It's worked wonders. Megan is great now and leads almost a normal life."

Megan attends the Royal Aberdeen Children's Hospital every few weeks for more injections.

Kelly, who has another daughter, Lauren, five, said: "It's a painful procedure which is distressing forme to watch as Megan winces when she has the injections.

"But we know it has to be done because it helps her walk - that's the important thing."

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