A DISABLED six-year-old who has up to 150 seizures a day has been a prisoner in his own home for the last six months because he couldn’t go outside without putting his life at risk.

Now, thanks to Newlife the Charity for Disabled Children, Elijah Laven-Brown from Eastleigh has a specialist buggy so he is finally able to get out and about with his family.

Elijah has a life threatening form of epilepsy and is being assessed for Autism. The frequency of his seizures means he’s very tired and his muscles are weak so keeps tripping over.

Although South Hampshire NHS had previously given him a buggy, when he grew out of it their waiting times for assessment and provision meant they couldn’t act quickly enough, leaving Elijah a prisoner in his own home.

Desperate, Elijah’s parents, Eryn and Matthew got in touch with Newlife who understood the urgency of the situation and delivered a £1,134 specialist buggy within 72 hours of receiving the application.

Elijah has little speech, difficulty understanding and absolutely no awareness of danger.

Mum Eryn said: “We were mostly stuck inside, unable to take Elijah anywhere. Sometimes I had no choice but to carry him to hospital appointments but the whole experience was horrendous.

"Elijah would pinch, kick and scream while in my arms trying to get free and holding him as well as his two-year-old brother Jensen, was impossible.

“We are huge fans of the NHS, but the fact that their systems meant it would take months to provide a buggy was devastating for the whole family.

“When Newlife got in touch to say they could help, I literally broke down. I would never have believed I could cry over a buggy, but it means everything to us and has made a world of difference.

“We can go outside whenever we want to now, whenever we need to. We can go to appointments and days out together as a family. Elijah and Jensen can have the experiences they need for development.

“We also have peace of mind knowing that Elijah’s muscles are supported and he is comfortable. He’s much happier and relaxed which means we don’t worry as much.”

Newlife’s Head of Charity Operations, Stephen Morgan, said: “No child should be unable to go outside because of a lack of basic equipment.

“Thankfully we were able to help Elijah quickly, but it demonstrates an increasingly urgent need for local clinical commissioning groups and local authorities to review their practices so they are better able to meet the urgent needs of disabled and terminally ill children.”

“With 1.1 million disabled children now in the UK, budget cuts and restrictions on NHS and council spending means more and more families have no alternative but to turn to charity’s like Newlife for help.”

In Hampshire there are 23 children on the waiting list and Newlife needs to raise £76,962 to give them the equipment they need. To help children like Elijah please visit our website www.newlifecharity.co.uk or call us on 01543 462777.