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A toddler with cerebral palsy has taken his first steps after a life-changing operation helped him become able to toddle unaided.
Sebastian Brokenshire-Dyke was diagnosed with the neurological condition in 2014, when he was 15 months old. His family worried he would never be able to walk without support.
They spent the last year fundraising £70,000 for treatment in America so that Seb could keep up with his twin brother Solomon.
And on Monday 27 December the family shared the video above on Facebook showing Seb taking his first unaided steps when aged two years, 10 months and two days, - nine weeks and five days after the selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) treatment.
Seb's family captioned the video:
"On the 1st day of Christmas, little Sebby gave to us: twenty seconds standing. On the 2nd day of Christmas, little Sebby gave to us: forty seconds standing. On the 3rd day of Christmas, little Sebby gave to us: TWO TINY STEPS.
"We've been waiting for this moment for so very long, and today it finally happened. It was worth the wait. Pure joy."
There are many milestones, big and small, that Seb hasn't yet experienced. Largely each new mini milestone is something...
Posted by Seb's Legs on Wednesday, 16 December 2015
Sebastian Brokenshire-Dyke (left) and his twin Solomon
Wednesday 30 December marks ten weeks since Seb had SDR surgery in St Louis. Seb is now able to stand unaided for forty seconds.
"The other day he put his leg on the table during dinner - perhaps not appropriate but this was completely beyond comprehension before surgery," his family wrote on Facebook.
"Beyond all these physical achievements, our family is finally experiencing a sense of calm and simple joy.
"We no longer worry about the effects of spasticity on his growing body. We no longer fear for his future.
"We are confident he has the same opportunities ahead of him as his twin brother.
"We can relax and enjoy our family time and watch both of our sons enjoy the craziness of their toddler years. Seb is finally, finally, toddling!"
Tomorrow is just ten weeks since Seb had SDR surgery with Dr Park in St Louis. In that time, Seb has learnt to walk with canes, learnt to stand up from sitting without his hands, learnt to stand by himself for up to forty seconds (current record), has taken his first steps and, as this video shows, is confidently adding to them all the time. He can sit cross legged, put his toes in his mouth and dance in time to music. The other day he put his leg on the table during dinner - perhaps not appropriate but this was completely beyond comprehension before surgery. Beyond all these physical achievements, our family is finally experiencing a sense of calm and simple joy. We no longer worry about the effects of spasticity on his growing body. We no longer fear for his future. We are confident he has the same opportunities ahead of him as his twin brother. We can relax and enjoy our family time and watch both of our sons enjoy the craziness of their toddler years. Seb is finally, finally, toddling! Thank you everyone so, so much. There was such an incredible amount of effort from so many people to get him on his way like this. We may not say thank you as much as we did, but please know that we think it all the time and our family will never stop feeling grateful for all that you have done. #CerebralPalsy#SDRchangeslives
Posted by Seb's Legs on Tuesday, 29 December 2015
The family are asking people to sign a petition to make SDR available on the NHS. For more information on Seb and his family, visit their Facebook page.
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