A FAMILY has made a heartfelt plea for help to pay for 'life-changing' treatment for their six-year-old.

Haydn Cozens-Landsey, from Reading, who has cerebral palsy has the chance for an operation that would make it easier for him to walk.

The NHS will fund the operation but his family say the cost of intensive therapy is mounting up dramatically - and they need help.

Mum Emma said: "It all comes at a cost."

"This operation has the potential to be life-changing for our son and we want to ensure that it is, by supporting him in the very best way we can.

"This will give Haydn the best possible results and opportunity for his future and independence. We really need your help to achieve this."

Haydn was born "incredibly small" at 26 weeks, weighing just 1lb 10oz, and requiring medical attention and a ventilator to help him breathe.

After being told that he was initially doing well, his mum was told that Haydn had suffered a bleed on the brain.

Haydn spent 106 days in hospital and was diagnosed with respiratory distress syndrome, chronic lung disease, PDA and suspected sepsis.

Emma said: "As time went on, we knew things weren't quite as they should be with his development.

"He wasn't meeting his milestones of being able to sit unaided, crawl or bear weight in his legs.

"At around the age of two years, an MRI confirmed spastic diplegic cerebral palsy."

Cerebral Palsy is a developmental disorder, which is thought to have been caused by the damage to his brain -  this has affected Haydn's ability to move and maintain balance and posture.

Emma continued: "This was incredibly hard news to receive but straight away I spent hours researching therapies and things I could do at home that could help our son."

Hardyn's family became aware early on of an operation called Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR).

The surgery would seek to destroy problematic nerve roots in the spinal cord to reduce muscle stiffness and enable independent walking. 

While Hardyn was initially too young for the procedure, he has recently been through various assessments and a specialised team of individuals agreed that he would make a suitable candidate for the operation, which would be funded by the NHS.

Emma said: "We are very lucky as not every child with Haydn's disability is offered this opportunity.

"Haydn has worked hard to get to where he is today."

"Whilst Haydn can walk independently, the high muscle tone in his legs makes walking difficult and tiring."

"The operation is just the start and is by no means a miracle cure."

To gain the most from the surgery, Haydn will require increased strength training in the lead-up to the surgery, followed by two years of intensive post-op therapy.

While Haydn's mum Emma currently provides home physio twice a day and has enrolled him in horse riding and weekly private PT session, Osteopath and ad hoc private physio sessions, the family are struggling with the mounting cost.

A just giving page has been set up named 'Haydn's Hope' and can be found here: justgiving.com/campaign/haydnshope