Elliot is a beautiful and happy little boy, however his brain damage (L.H.E and P.V.L ) is so severe that today he is unable to sit up, walk or talk. He cannot see (C.V.I ) and suffers from West Syndrome  (Infantile spasms).

This is our story:

No parent ever plans to have a brain-injured child, we certainly didn’t. After a hazard free pregnancy, my third, (and the only difference this time was that I was expecting twins) Victoria and Elliot were born. Elliot had immediate breathing difficulties  (R.D.S ) but we were told that this was not unusual for a 2^nd born premature twin. Nevertheless he was put into intensive care. However, at 6 days old he also contracted Sepsis  (septicaemia) and had several pauses of apnoea. A few days later he suffered various seizures. Over the following few weeks, a number of  tests, including a lumbar puncture, CAT  scans and EEGS  were carried out but at 6 weeks old Elliot was declared well enough to go home.

Despite all that had happened, the doctors led us to believe that the only thing Elliot would need would be some physiotherapy, due to the time he had spent in the incubator. As routine procedure we were told to return to the hospital when Elliot was 6 months old to have a follow up CAT scan, just to check that his brain was developing properly. The head of the rehabilitation department at the hospital said “I am very pleased that you live in Estepona as the best physio care your child can have in this area is at a local centre called APRONA.” 

Elliot was just 6 and a half weeks old when the physiotherapist and psychologist visited us in our home. They came 3 times a week until Elliot was strong enough to attend the centre. The staff at the centre were wonderful. They themselves, however, with all their experience, suspected that all would not be OK when we returned for the CAT scan. They were right. 

You cannot begin to imagine how our world collapsed around us when the neurologist at the hospital used just one word to describe the state of Elliot’s brain, “horrendous.” What on earth did he mean?  He couldn’t’ be talking about our son. Whilst we were well aware that Elliot was “a little” behind the developmental progress of other children aged 6 months, nothing had prepared us for this.“ Will he be able to walk, read or write?” we asked.