A HAYDON WICK couple are battling to raise £40,000 to fund an operation for their 15-year-old son which would allow him to keep full mobility..

Christine and Wayne Armstrong, whose son James has the degenerative spine condition idiopathic scoliosis, were left needing to raise the money after being told that NHS would not be able to provide the operation.

Their private health insurers CIGNA also said they would not be able to cover the cost.

Wayne, a martial arts and personal safety trainer, said: “In 2012, James started exhibiting problems with his hip.

“He was in considerable amounts of pain for a few years – the first year it was on-and-off, then it just scaled up.”

Eventually, after years of failing to diagnose the problem, he was found to have a labral tear.

Although it had begun to heal, the effects of the injury left James with intense post-pain, and he was put through a two-week intense rehabilitation programme. Within months, the pain had gone.

It was while having a follow-up with an osteopath that a lump was spotted on the left-hand side of his back, and he was rushed through an X-ray scan.

The discovery of the scoliosis came with a stark warning to the family, as the initial suggestion was that he wear a brace, 23 hours a day. If the condition continued to worsen, then he would require an operation to install metal rods in his back.

Through researching the issue, Christine and Wayne came into contact with an orthopaedic spine specialist who suggested another form of treatment, known as vertebral body tethering, as the best solution to James’s condition.

But with the operation not yet having NICE approval, the family are facing a prohibitive bill.

Wayne said: “We are in a position where we have a great opportunity, but we don’t have funding.

“So we sat down with the family and had a chat, and it felt like we needed to reach out to our broader family and friends, and the wider community via social media.”

With efforts to raise awareness among personal aquaintances, at Nationwide, where Christine works as a project manager, and at St Joseph’s College, where James is a student, underway, the family have started to move towards their £40,000 goal. With it comes the opportunity for James to take up his former hobbies: martial arts, gymnastics and running.

For more information, and to donate, visit www.gofundme.com/james-spine-operation