Carlisle youngster Brendan Brown was just a typical 11-year-old with a passion for football, motocross and boxing when his life was suddenly turned upside down nine months ago.
What started out as a broken ankle during a football match warm up for Carlisle Reivers, has turned into a nightmare for Brendan and his family, after his injury failed to heal and led to him being diagnosed with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS).
CRPS is a rare syndrome that affects around 1 in 4,000 people a year. It scrambles the brain’s pain receptors and causes them to tell the body it has a serious injury when there isn’t one, creating extreme, long-lasting pain in the affected limb.
Brendan’s pain is so intense and debilitating that he can no longer walk or do the things he loves.
His mum, Hayley Greig, 42, said: “He’s gone from a fully active child to absolutely nothing in nine months, imagine everything you love taken away from you, it’s mentally breaking.”
To help with the pain, he is currently taking amitriptyline, a strong drug intended for adults as he has now reached the legal limit of medication young children are allowed to take.
But it only decreases the pain a very small amount and Hayley says the pain had caused him to become depressed.
She added: “We’re living a nightmare at the moment. I can’t sit back as a mum and do nothing, it’s nine months too long, his mental health has declined so much, he sometimes says he wants his foot cut off, he doesn’t understand that wouldn’t help. If I could give him my foot I would.
“I have lost my happy little boy, he was a whirlwind, he just doesn’t smile anymore.”
Due to the rarity of the syndrome, Brendan’s treatment options in Cumbria are limited, which has caused the family a lot of stress, Hayley said.
She added that the waiting lists are painfully long, especially when Brendan needs immediate relief.
While there is no known cure, specific treatments can help those living with CRPS go into remission.
After doing a lot of research, Hayley found several options for residential pain treatment centres that could help Brendan.
The best option is in America, where Brendan would have all the aspects of the care he needs at once and she has also found other less intensive potential options in Bath and Ireland.
But Hayley has two other children and is a single mum as well as Brendan’s carer, which makes affording the treatment options difficult.
Seeing Brendan unable to play football prompted his coach Amy Hickson, 37, from Carlisle, to set up an online fundraiser to help.
She said: “He’s awesome, a great little kid, football-wise he’s brilliant, he scores nearly every game, he’s a great striker and a great little boy.
“Because he’s on the autism spectrum, he sees things differently, so it’s all just been so hard for him to comprehend that he now can’t walk.”
So far, Carlisle Reivers have set up a 12-hour charity football match day, and other fundraising ideas are welcomed.
Hayley has also found swimming and hydrotherapy has helped Brendan, and they hope to do more.
She added: “The support so far has been overwhelming, and we’re going to keep pushing and fighting to get him to a treatment centre.”
Donate to Brendan’s GoFundMe here: Let’s get Brendan back on both feet.
