A boy with cerebral palsy has written a letter to David Cameron pleading for his help after the NHS pulled funding for his spinal surgery and aftercare.
Ben Baddeley, 11, from Staffordshire, was booked in to have major spinal surgery on the NHS to help him walk again, but five days before his appointment his family were informed the funding for the operation had been pulled.
Ben was able to go ahead with the operation thanks to an anonymous donor who covered the £11,440 cost, but he now requires a further 18 months of treatments at the cost of just under £2,000 every month.
However, Ben's treatment will stop on 28 March if the family fail to raise enough funds to finish his rehabilitation.
Ben Baddeley
"I really hope you get this letter because my family really needs help," Ben wrote to Cameron.
"Why can't the NHS pay for my treatment? Do you know why?
"Can you please fix it?"
Ben explained in his letter how he had an operation, which was funded by donations, but he doesn't understand why the NHS won't pay for his follow-up treatment.
Ben wrote: "It's really hard work for my mum and dad and I don't think it's very fair.
"I wanted to ask you if you could sort things out so I can get my rehabilitation paid for by the NHS. Can you do that?
"We are always busy fundraising so we miss out on family time quite a lot and that's a bit sad for us.
"I really hope you get my letter and I really hope you will help me."
Ben, who has spastic diplegia cerebral palsy, was put forward for the spinal surgery that would reduce the pain when he walked, under the NHS three years ago.
His mother, Amy Baddeley, said the NHS took Ben through two years of pre-operations tests, scans and body conditioning in preparation for his surgery.
However, five days before the operation the Baddeley family received a letter (pictured below) informing them that to continue with Ben's surgery there was an outstanding balance of £11,440 of which the NHS could not fund.
"Ben's consultant had stopped all of Ben's pain medications a week before his surgery date because it wouldn't have been safe for Ben to have major spinal surgery with the amount of medication in his system," Mrs Baddeley explained.
"So at this point Ben was in agony and we simply couldn't leave our son in that amount of pain, he was at this point telling us that he wanted to go to sleep and not wake up because it hurt so bad."
Mrs Baddeley set up an appeal online and an anonymous donator paid the £11,440 direct to the NHS, meaning Ben's surgery was rescheduled at the QMC in Nottingham and went ahead.
"Ben went into hospital a wheelchair user and walked out of hospital two days later, which to us was nothing short of a miracle," his mum said.
"Two days after we got home, the NHS contacted us to inform us that they now consider Ben's surgery to have been 'private' and now will not fund any of his rehabilitation, which costs just under £2,000 every single month."
Ben's mother said the family have been raising funds for the past year, but they have now run out of donations.
"Ben has just seven treatment sessions left, his last session is on the 28 March if I fail to raise the funds," she said.
"This is a massive blow to Ben and leaves him with a huge possibility of becoming wheelchair bound once again.
"My son has been shown a better quality of life and he has worked hard with his rehabilitation, now because fundraising is getting near impossible I'm being forced to take that life away from my little boy."
For more information on the family's appeal, visit their Facebook page Help Ben Walk Without Pain. The family also have a GoFundMe page for donations.
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