Edward got his own motorised wheelchair 20th June and he thinks it is absolutely fantastic - no more waiting around for people!

21st June - Edward arrives at school complete with wheelchair, and he is feeling more confident and more independent :-)

Wed 27th June - Edward has got his 1st prosthetic arm

:-).  It has a strap attatched which goes across his back and when he pushes his arm forward it opens the hand so he can pick things up.  It is quite a heavy contraption but Edward is very happy with it.  He now has to build his muscles up and get used to using it

Above w/c 1/7/07 shows Edward and William on the balcony of the caravan in Hornsea, top right, William and Edward with a crab! Bottom left, Edward destroying his sandcastle and bottom right, on a donkey called William at Scarborough - Edward and William say this is the best holiday they have had, Edward did everything he would have done albeit a little slower

7th July and Edward proves anything is possible - he ascends 'the wall' at the fire service fund raising event not once but twice and he loved every second! (unlike mum, who darn't look!!!)

This is Max - William & Edward's new best friend.  He is a Cocker Spaniel so we are hoping that he can be trained to be an extra pair of arms and legs for Edward.  Any hints & tips on training are welcome

July 28th - and Edward refuses to wear his right arm prosthesis, we are back at the mobility centre on Tues - Edward can do more without his right arm than when he is wearing his prosthesis, so there is something not quite right?  Hopefully they'll have some answers. 

August 3rd 2007 - Doing what little boys like to do!  Edward, William, Dad, Pom (Grandad) and mama spent the day on a barge fishing and having a picnic, courtesty of Dick.  (Notice he is not using his prosthetic arm:-( , we should have some news on that later on this week)

This is Edward's supplied prosthetic limb - it is heavy and you will notice the spoon attachment, this replaces the hand when he is eating, you can notice he has to bring his head forward in order to reach the contents of the spoon.  It is impossible for Edward to change this independently!  It is heavy, the actual hand does not resemble his brothers hand, something which he really would like.  There is a wire which fits to the hand, it has a soft loop which goes over his left shoulder, this is pulled using his back muscles to open the hand, Edward finds this too difficult and time consuming, at the moment he prefers to use his own arms.

 August 2007 - Edward in one of Derby City Hospitals best kept secrets!  He has had his 1st session of Hydrotherapy (swimming), the physio's are so patient.  The 1st thing he said was 'let me go', and he kept on and on till eventually they did, Edward held his breath and touched the bottom, he loved it and did not want to get out.  The hydrotherapy sessions will help with his balance and movement of his joints.

August 22nd 2007 - Seeing is believing, Edward shows his determination when he take his 1st proper steps since Febuary.  There was no stopping him and he did in fact have to be told he'd gone far enough when he tried to make his way down the corridor and out the doors!!!!

These are what he will be supplied with to start off, they are called 'rockers' and will help with his balance plus, when he falls it won't be so far!

Unfortunately he won't be taking them home until next week :-(

August 23rd - is this not just the most adorable picture ever?  Edward meets Ellie May for the first but definitely not the last time.  What a brilliant afternoon.  She is absolutely amazing, like Edward she refuses to let anything stop her.  Hopefully friends for life for all of us, including Ellie's twin (!), Sophie and William.

  ......and here's what Ellie has shown Edward to do, how to get upstairs, its easy peasy when you know how!  We will be meeting them again in a couple of weeks time when we take a break in Kent, courtesy of the lovely mother of the lovely nurse Racael from Birmingham Children's Hospital.  Hopefully Ellie will teach him how to get back down!!!

(Ps. the night after this Edward decided to take it upon himself to get down the stairs, at midnight!  He succeeded.  We think he just didn't want a girl outdoing him!)

26th August - William & Edward have been on a Driver's Dream Day at Lutterworth, where they both reached speeds of 137 mph in an Aston Martin DB9!!!!  And what did they say to that?  "We wanted to go faster", they were not at all nervous, just very excited.  The men who looked after them were brill.  This fantastic treat was provided by a charity called me & dee, and Maria, the charity founder has been wonderful.  We also went on 4 x 4 experience, this was a bit scary for Mum - and the boys.....they loved it, the water, the hills, the slants and the see-saw in the middle of a large pond you go up.

September 1st to the 8th - We went to the lovely Mereworth in Kent and stayed in a beautiful cottage courtesy of Richard & Joanne, (this is Rachael's Mum & Dad, Racheael was a Junior Sister on wd 5 at Birmingham Children's Hospital).  The 1st pic is of Edward & William at a local farm where they stroked Pigs, Cows and held the Chicken!  Next is the boys at Howlett's Zoo, and they both loved it, we did as we always do ask Edward if he felt he was missing out on anything, and no he didn't, he experiences everything his brother does, apart from running off!!!!

Top left - Dad, Edward and William outside the cottage. 

Picture 2 & 3 - Joanna was so very welcoming and went out of her way to ensure we all had a lovely time.  These pictures are of the boys going on their 1st ever ride on a horse, they both did really well and Edward's balance was very good.

August 14th and all we can say is WOW!!!  Whilst on holiday in Kent Edward did physio 3 times a day every day, including leg stretches and some balance practice without the 'rockers' which we had picked up on the 31st August.  When we returned home on the 8th we tried Edward with the 'rockers', and he was balancing really well, but we did have some big problems with the rockers!  After an appointment on the 12th September when, amongst other things the problems where rectified Edward came home and continued with the work on his legs as before.  Now, Edward had given himself a goal of 5 days(!) to be up and walking independently, so day 1 was to be Thursday, and yes, you've guessed it...by Friday 14th September Edward had taken his 1st independent steps in over 6 months!  He really is amazing.  He started with 1 step at 1.30, then 2 then 3 and ended up walking approx 8 ft alone.  This picture shows him balancing. 

 In the short space of two weeks Edward has mastered the balance skills required to walk.  Two days ago he participated in a full P.E lesson at school with his friends, during this he kicked a footie, walked backwards, did basketball and weaved in and out cones.  Edward's subconscious is having to start from scratch the things we take for granted, we don't think what to do when we start tumble, Edward's subconscious is having to relearn everything again.  He is wearing his legs approx 5 - 7 hours a day and Edward now feels confident enough to have them lengthend a few inches when we return from our holiday.

 Well what a hectic albeit exciting month!!!  On the 8th October we set off on the trip of a lifetime, funded by a most generous and wonderful man who has requested he remain anonymous.  This is the boys on the Virgin 747, Virgin staff treated Edward and us like stars, they were truly wonderful from the moment we walked into Manchester Airport.

Two whole weeks in Disney Land, Florida, staying in the Grand Floridian Hotel.  A Two week ultimate park pass was donated by Virgin, which took the pressure off us having to get it all in over a 4 or 5 day period, we just came and went as we pleased into the parks.  This was the ultimate end of what started off as a nightmate year.  Both Edward and William had the time of their life, they loved every minute, as did we.  We also visited Sea Life, (again courtesy of Virgin), a Pirate Night, (yes, courtesy of Virgin) and dinner at Chef Mickeys, (and yes, you've guessed it, courtesy of Virgin!)

The boys ready to go to the Pirate's Evening

The boys have their Pic taken at Chef Mickey's

Edward and William also learnt to swim

in the pool, the weather was superb

It truly was the most magical, fantastic holiday ever.  We arrived back in the UK on the 23rd October.

On the 31st October Edward had an appointment at the Mobility Centre at Nottingham, he received an appliance for his right arm, which, although does not resemble a hand, it should enable Edward to gain more independence, I will put photo's of the appliance and it's capabilities  on the website soon.  Also, on this appointment Edward had his final fitting for his new legs, which he is receiving earlier than planned due to his abilities, having walked for far longer periods in a shorter space of time than expected, in fact Edward rarely takes his wheelchair out with us, unless we are going on a long trek, he either walks or has a little carry.  Anyway, the new legs make him taller......and they will require Edward to use less energy.......and here is a sneak preview...they are carbon fibre, very lightweight and make excellent running legs, Edward is very excited about having them, although he will have to learn to walk from scratch yet again, using a frame, exercises etc but with Edward's attitude and help from physio's we have no doubt that Edward will excel with his new mission. The legs do make him around 1 inch shorter than William, but they will make him about twice as fast when he has mastered them!!!! 

On Friday the 2nd November Edward attended Birmingham Children's Hospital to have surgery on his left arm, which Edward was only able to move around 90 degrees due to scar tissue, they had to cut the scar and remove a large, deep area of good skin to cover the gap left on the inside of his elbow, whilst in hospital he had a few visits from the nurses who had taken care of him back at the beginning of the year, Claire, Rachael, Caroline & Hannah :-).  Edward himself did really well and after recovering from the general anaesthetic he got bored, but was unable to get out of bed as he had to have his left arm raised.  There was talk of putting a leech on the wound, (to encourage the blood supply), which Edward got quite excited about, boys eh!  But fortunately for me, this was not done.  He was discharged on Monday 5th November and we will return on the 14th November, we will then find out if he requires another skin graft on the arm.  Edward is going back to school next week.

This is the new appliance which will hopefully help Edward gain independence.  He has a docking station which enables him to take off the fork and put on the tool for writing.

On November 13th Edward went to Nottingham Mobility centre to collect his 'state of the art' legs.  Here he is looking as pleased as punch, click here to veiw the bbc news website.

We have been told that it will take some hard work for Edward to regain his sense of balance again, they have made him 9 inch taller, for more information on the legs please click here for the Derby Evening Telegraph write up.

 And here he is again, ready to leave the department, making sure that he keeps the new legs!!!!  Shortly after this pic Edward did have a fall, (with the frame) but we always encourage him to get straight back up and try again, it is very important he does not lose confidence, and we also tell him to think about how many times he hasn't fallen over since being poorly - mmm that's a lot of not falling over!!!!.....................................

.......so, he gets home that afternoon, defies everything we have talked about at our morning consultation, about learning to balance, exercises etc etc and walks!!  We were stunned to say the least, no fear, no worries just did it like that!  I did tell him he wasn't meant to do it that soon, but there is no stopping him.  I was worried about posting this pic on the web, but Edward is adamant it goes on, he wants everyone to feel as proud of him as we do.

William & Edward November 14th, outside the Bullring (who'd have guessed it).  Edward attended Birmingham Children's Hospital today for a check on his recent z-plasty site, on the whole it has been a success, but he does require a small skin graft in 2 weeks time, hopefully he will only be in overnight.

Edward meets Richard Whitehead.  He was truly an inspiration to Edward, absolutely amazing.  Richard was superb with Edward and Edward has now got a few years training before he asks Richard for a race.  Richard runs marathons.  Hopefully, Edward will get together again with Richard in the New Year.

December 8th - And Edward wanted the decorations up and did really well at dressing the tree.  To the left is dad lifting him up to put the star on the tree, he weighs a tonne so its no easy task lifting him.  He's really excited about it all and is well aware of how lucky we all are that he is here with us this year.  We are going to make it extra special for both the boys.  His left arm is now fully healed and we have begun some gentle stretching exercises. 

Above is the Christmas card painted by Edward, he drew, painted and wrote it all by himself using the arm adaptaion.

Here they are it's Christmas Day, very busy, Edward had all on keeping up with William, buy did he try!  They are opening a brilliant gift, donated from the Radiology Dept at King's Mill Hospital,they raised money for a treat for Edward in lieu of cards, he also got a Dareway, which is right up Edward's street, we are just waiting for the legs with feet and knees and also a brill games table, which is fantastic for rehab.

And here he is after opening the sports table.

Above is Edward and William on the footie table.  Edward gives William a really good game, they are both as good as each other, Edward is unbelievable dextrous.  Monday is a big day for all of us,it will be one year since Edward contracted Meningococcal Septicaemia, but this year we will be heading off up to Crich Tramway Museum, together with the BBC and later on big brothers and sister will be coming up for a celebratory tea.

February 9th - Edward got himself dressed today, put on his little new legs and trotted off outside with his friends.  He had about half an hour out there, he knows he has to build up muscle in his back and legs and he knows this will take time.  He came in and played a new game on the xbox.

March 18th - Here they are, the legs that Edward has been sooo excited about.  He has to have a lot of training on them, but Edward is doing amazingly well.  Hopefully he will be bringing them home on the 11th April.  He absolutely loves the shoes, it's the first time he's worn them since February 2007!

March 18th - these are the legs, at the moment they are unfinished but we will post a picture of the finished product when they come home.  Each set of legs that he has had requires different techniqes of mastering walking.  The latest ones bend at the knee, in order to bend the knee he has to put pressure on the toe then swing it forward and to straighten it he has to put weight on the heel.  So, it's toe - heel, toe - heel, I knew those tap dancing lessons I did when I was younger would come in useful!!!!!!

And here are our boys, only now Edward is taller than William.  William is not very happy about this!

Right and below are pictures of the boys leading Derby County out at Pride Park.  They played against Man United and did REALLY good, losing by only 1 - 0.All of the players are great with Edward, Robbie Savage carried out to the middle of the pitch to toss the coin with Ryan Giggs.  Both boys are experiencing so much in life and they love it.

This picture is taken at Monsal Dale in the Summer or 2006.

April 7th 2008 - Edward has been to see his Plastic Surgeon today, the brilliant Mr Richards, at BCH.  He is going to do surgery on Edward's nose and mouth at the end of May.  It will be one of many operations over many years to help Edward and William to regain the identity they had know for 7 years.

Friday 11th April-Edward returned home from Nottingham Mobility Centre with his new 'bendy' legs.  We all know that these legs will be the biggest challenge yet to Edward, but we are prepared to put in lots of time and effort in order to get a good end result.  Edward had a really busy day today, he's been to Nottingham, had the BBC and Central News following his progress so we leave the legs for today.

Saturday 12th April and a plan has been drawn up with Edward on board, Edward decides the times that he will practice walking with us and we decide the number of times to do it, we start off with 2 on Saturday, 3 on Sunday, 3 on Monday and 4 thereon.  Edward takes his first 2 independent steps on them today, only 2 steps but it means he can do it!  We are all really excited.  He has deciced that he will be able to walk the length of the living room by next Saturday, so we give him incentives.

Sunday 13th and he nearly makes the whole room, albeit with shaky steps.  Monday 14ths and he makes it, there and back!!!!!  He is still very wobbly though and it looks like his legs are the master.

Tuesday the 15th and he is starting to make it look easy and he is loving it.  There are still many months of practice ahead of us though until he gets it all off to a fine art.  Keep an eye out for a new video being posted of Edward walking independently.

April 26th and Bill n Ted get invited by Derbyshire Police Force for a close up view of the Helicopter, a sit in it and a look around it.  Dad took them and he did say they were really well behaved...wonder why?  Not that we told them that if they didn't they'd be put in prison :-)

May 30th 2008 - Edward has had the first of many operations to reconstruct his face.  (Please see NEWS section for how surgery went).  At the moment he is not able to get about as he also had surgery on his left leg.  But he does tell us that he will be up and about when the bandage comes off.......too right!

June 4th - Well, all the dressings are off Edward's face, but no his legs.  It will be a week or two until he is back up and running about.  Here the boys are after just having had the face dressing removed.

July 2008 - Edward's nose and mouth has now completely settled and we cream them every night with either Adaptskin or E45.  He has a small bit of his right nostril missing and the shape of his lips are not as they were, but he will have further surgery on these as he gets older.  His left leg is also completely healed and he no longer has tight scar tissue where it meets the healthy tissue.

 William and Edward playing in water!  They would love to stay in it all day.  They still attend a local Private House for swimming lessons. William can now swim lovely and Edward is not far off cracking it.  They go once a fortnight and really look forward to it.

Here are the boys in the upper class Virgin Atlantic Lounge.  Virgin really are the best.  The holiday this time was courtesey of the the Sun and yes it was to Florida

Right is one of Edward's fave rides, Terror Tower, I went on it once and that was enough for me, William and Edward loved this and Rock n Roll roller coaster.  He got on all the BIG rides this time as he wore is walking legs and did really well

Here is Edward performing an experiment!!!!

Holiday July 2010

Here is Edward enjoying the sand :-)

December 2010

Edward on his new bike, bought in part with funds raised by a lovely lady who makes and sells home made lovely bags.  Not only that but she has sent both boys lovely Derby County shirts and a fantastic Derby County newpaper book, which is envied by many :-)

March 2011

Edward and William got invited on a Jeremy Kyle special episode of inspirational children ... the crew were great and put us all at ease.........

April 2011

The book came in really handy when the Jeremy Kyle show arranged for William and Edward to spend a morning with the Derby County Team.  They were all fab with the boys and Robbie Savage even gave Ed his footballing boots!  They played footie, got autographs in newspaper cutting book and had lunch......