THE family of a young boy who was left brain damaged after being struck down with a mystery condition have reached their latest fundraising target.
A new specialist bed has been ordered for Josh Denton, from Middleton-in-Teesdale, after well-wishers helped raise £5,000.
The eight-year-old suffered a seizure in September 2012 which left him unable to walk or talk. He now requires round-the-clock care.
In November last year, Josh faced the possibility of having to sleep on the floor after the NHS considered his current bed to be unsafe. His parents, Scott Denton and Joanna Hall, who are also mum to six-year-old Mia, found themselves having to find a way to foot the bill of a new medical bed which can cost £10,000.
The community rallied to help by holding and supporting fundraisers including a fun run in December which raised £232.20.
Josh is also the first child to receive support from The Bradley Lowery Foundation. The charity was set up in memory of Bradley Lowery who died in July last year following a brave fight against a rare form of cancer known as neuroblastoma.
After meeting with the family, Bradley’s mum, Gemma, set a fundraising target of £30,000 to fund the new bed and transform Josh’s bedroom into a sensory room.
It was agreed that when Josh’s family had raised £5,000, the charity would match it so £10,000 was in the pot.
This milestone has now been reached and the new bed has been ordered.
Mr Denton said: “It will make every difference to us as a family. Me and Joanna take it in turns sleeping downstairs with him. In the long run, once the room is all done we will know he is in a safe bed and we will have a camera set up. It is just nice to know that Josh is going to have a safe place to sleep.”
The Bradley Lowery Foundation expressed on Facebook how proud it was to support Josh and his family.
The post read: “Super proud of Joshua and his family. We started their campaign before Christmas. They are fundraising for a specialist bed and sensory equipment. We said once their family and friends raised £5k we would donate £5k. Well they have done it. First milestone hit and Joshua’s new bed has been ordered.
“This will make a huge difference to Joshua and his family. Thank you to everyone who helped them reach their first target.”
The family are now hoping to continue raising enough funds to transform Josh’s bedroom.
Mr Denton said: “He has not got the biggest room but we want to make the best of the space he has got.
“We have got someone coming from a sensory company from down south. They are going to see how we can make Josh’s room into one big sensory room but keep it as a bedroom too.
“We just want to make it nice for Josh and the big thing for me is knowing that he is as safe as possible.”
It is hoped that the sensory room will include padded walls, mirrors and an interactive floor for Josh to crawl on.
Mr Denton added: “Me and Joanna would like to say a big thank you to everyone who has helped us raise the money and to The Bradley Lowery Foundation. To get that £5,000 and have it matched is great. We are looking forward to pushing on now and meeting the next target.”
