A BOY of five with cerebral palsy is to have specialist treatment in America thanks to his dad.
Andrew Telford from Colwyn Bay is trying to raise £50,000 to send son, AJ Tighe, for an operation at a hospital in St Louis which could improve the youngster’s walking.
AJ, who lives with his mother in Manchester, suffers from spastic diplegia cerebral palsy and has been accepted for treatment at the hospital which involves identifying and severing the nerves in his legs which are impeding his ability to walk.
The operation will cost about £28,000, with the rest of the money needed for AJ’s flights and accommodation, as well as follow-up physiotherapy treatment.
Mr Telford, 40, described the news that his son was accepted for the operation as “the best news I’ve had in a long time”.
He said: “He phoned me last week and said ‘dad, they’re going to fix my legs in America’ - and that was very emotional.”
Fundraising efforts for AJ have included a collection at Asda, Kinmel Bay, which raised £142 - which his father described as a “fantastic amount”.
As well as raising funds for the operation, Mr Telford said his goal was to now raise the profile of children suffering from cerebral palsy.
He said “When it comes to the fundraising, I’m like Bob Geldof - I don’t take no for an answer!”
Funds will also be raised through a 24-hour DJ set at the Washington, Llandudno, on Saturday July 23, followed by a fun day on July 24.
Then the former Arriva bus driver will lead a fundraising road trip which will tour 21 cities around the UK, from July 31 until August 9.
The trippers will be starting and ending at the Afon Conwy, near Glan Conwy, and will take in cities and towns such as Chester, Liverpool, Glasgow, Brighton and Cardiff.
If you can help contact Andrew Telford on 07562 435858 or go to the Operation AJ The Appeal page on Facebook.