Caiden Wakerley was just three when he first start complaining of sore hips to his mum
A schoolboy might not live to see his 20th birthday without specialist treatment. Caiden Wakerley, 10, was diagnosed with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis three years ago, a rare disease that makes moving his joints painful.
Caiden was just three when he started complaining about pain in his hips to his mum Dawn. The 41-year-old had noticed her son was walking on his tiptoes and was unable to hold his head back when she washed his hair.
Dawn said: "He was complaining in his car seat saying he had numb feet and his hips hurt. We thought it was the car seat so we tried different ones. Then, around three years ago, we noticed him walking on his tip toes so I took his took the doctors for an X-ray.
"They said he had inflammation and low vitamin D. The doctors couldn't work out what was wrong so we tried physio."
READ MORE: Man dies after being found with injuries inside flat READ MORE: Judge says 'it's beyond me' after what dad did to takeaway driverBut then the youngster, from Accrington, Lancashire, began to look unwell. His mum said he looked really skinny and pale. She continued: "It wasn't right and the school nurse even picked up on it. I carried on pushing. He had lots of tests.
"The doctors asked him to put his wrists back and he couldn't, he was putting his elbows down. They realised he had no movement in his wrists.
"He was diagnosed with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis which developed into the adult version because it took so long to get him diagnosed."
And if that wasn’t enough to contend with, the schoolboy was last year diagnosed with a two-in-a million mixed connective tissue disease. The rare autoimmune disease means Caiden's body produces antibodies against its own connective tissue, causing inflammation.
Dawn said: "My whole world ended when I found out. He’ll lose his ability to walk and he’s only 10. He’s been through so much for someone his age.
“He knows he has a lot going on. His hands are a mess, he can't grip things. He can't play out like a normal child. He can't ride his bike or go to the park with the other kids. He just wants to be a normal kid.
"His five-year-old sister can do more than him. It's so rare and I can't find anyone else who's been through it. It's awful and terrifying.”
He now takes medication and wears a machine that sends electors through the nerves to block the pain from the condition that affects his neck, wrists, ankles, hips, shoulders and fingers.
There's no cure for the disease and Caiden may not live past his teens unless he can be flown to Italy for treatment. Dawn and husband Graham, 38, are fundraising to take their son to Italy for medication that would put both diseases into remission.
Dawn said: "There is medication available in Italy that can put him in remission and prolong his life. The NHS doesn't fund it. We have approached doctors in Italy and said we want the best for our son.
"We need help. We're hopeful that he can live and enjoy the rest of his childhood. We're hanging in limbo. I'm living in the moment. I can't breakdown, I have to carry on and live day by day.
"When I think about what he's been through, it takes my breath away. He's a fighter. He's been through more than anyone could know."