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Charity trek after son’s life-changing skull operation

by Karen Britton
27/ 8/2008

AS LITTLE Zack Ford celebrates his first birthday today, his mum is preparing for a fundraising walk for the hospital which performed his life-changing operation.

Alex Ford, 26, of Higher Fence Road, will take on the Middlewood Way in aid of Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool, where her son – who turns one today (August 27) – has just undergone a nine hour operation on his skull.

Alex, a senior powerpoint operator at Knowledge Point 360 Group, said: "When Zack had his operation the staff at Alder Hey were amazing and I’m so grateful to them.

"They did everything I could have hoped for and more and I want to raise as much money as I can so that other families can benefit from the same care and support."

Zack was born with a condition called Coronal Craniosynostosis, which meant that one side of his skull was fused together and there was not enough space for his brain to develop normally. During the operation, his forehead was completely remodelled.

Alex, married to James, 30, a manager at Alma sheet Metals in Macclesfield, added: "Without the operation one side of Zack’s head would have grown differently to the other and there would have been effects in later life.

"There was a slight possibility of blindness and he would have looked different to other children when he started school. But now Zack’s 100 per cent better and we hope it will be the only operation he has to have. It has been tough, but Zack has been fantastic."

Alex will complete the ten mile walk from Macclesfield to Marple as part of the Imagine Appeal, with her sister Kathryn Farmer, 33, from Lymm, and they hope to hit the £1,500 mark from sponsorship.

The Alder Hey Imagine Appeal helps fund the care of over 200,000 children and young people every year, through research into medical conditions, buying equipment and improving facilities.

She added: "I just want to say a big thank you to everyone who has shown their support and sponsored me so far."

Alex and Kathryn will do their sponsored walk this Sunday (August 31) and you can sponsor them at www.justgiving.com/alexford2.