Every six months, Bendigo’s Lily-Rose Sparkes dons a “happy mask” as she undergoes treatment to allow her to walk properly.
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The bubbly five-year-old says as she “goes on tippy toes” she has to visit the hospital, where doctors give her a mask for happy gas and follow through with a series of injections in her calves to help her walk.
Lily has cerebral palsy and has been receiving botulinum toxin treatments since she was two years old.
Mum, Mia Smith, said they first realised Lily was having trouble about six months after she started to walk.
“Without this treatment, she wouldn’t be able to walk correctly,” she said.
“She would be always walking on her tippy toes and wouldn’t be able to climb or do some of the basic things people think kids can just do.”
Ms Smith said the treatments gave Lily the opportunity to be able to take part in life as a child socially and academically at a normal standard.
Lily is one of about 15 children receiving treatments through a clinic at Bendigo Health.
Typically, the patients are between three to seven years old and have cerebral palsy, but the clinic also sees others with brain injuries.
Ms Smith said Lily had a great team of health professionals helping her in her journey.
“We’ve got about six different people but they’re all linked in with each other, which we find amazing because they all speak to each other,” she said.
“There are a lot of other children [that have cerebral palsy] who don’t have the opportunities like we do, that don't have a full blown team that’s linked in together.”
About 30 patients have been through the clinic in its three-year history and Victorian Paediatric Rehabilitation Service statewide medical director Adam Scheinberg said it was incredibly important for a child’s development.
“Without the treatment the muscles become almost frozen, incredibly stiff and that can inhibit the way they walk,” he said.
“They can end up with what’s called contractures or permanent stiffening of the joints and that can also lead to problems like arthritis.”
Associate Professor Scheinberg said having the clinic visit Bendigo Health once a month meant children didn’t have to travel to The Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne.
“The treatment is typically given every six to 12 months during the first five to 10 years of life, so it’s a lot of trips saved,” he said.