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Perfect present puts Kye on the road

Dave Appleton
29/12/2006

KYE Waldron, the Rochdale youngster suffering from a terminal illness, was overjoyed with his main present this Christmas - a specially-adapted van.

The van, which has been fitted with a hydraulic lift at the back, has given him much more mobility, especially important at this time of the year with so many other presents to open and play with.

The nine-year-old, who attends Meanwood Primary School, has Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a rare muscle-wasting disease caused by faults in his genes.

In recent months his condition has deteriorated, which led Rochdale Round Table, through the Kye Waldron Trust Fund, to raise money for the specially-adapted van which they handed over to Kye a few days before Christmas.

The Round Table's Paul Entwistle said: "The van means Kye can now bring his electronic wheelchair home from school, as he can now stay in the wheelchair and use the hydraulic lift to get into the back of the van and then the straps which are locked to the floor are used to secure Kye and the wheelchair.

"Kye's mum Becky says that by having the van they are not now as limited to what they can do. She is able to transport Kye around by herself as she doesn't need help lifting him in and out of the car.

"By having the electronic wheelchair at home this will give Kye a lot more independence and he will be able to move himself around instead of relying on other people."

Mr Entwistle thanked the generosity of Rochdale people who donated to the Round Table's Christmas can collection, which raised almost £1,500 over four nights of door-to-door collections.

"The people of Rochdale have been fantastic in their generosity and donations for Kye's trust fund (www.kyewaldron.co.uk).

"The trust and Kye's family would also like to say a special thank you to members of Rochdale Rugby Union Club and the staff and children at Meanwood Primary School. We couldn't have done any of this without them."

Mr Entwistle said that although Kye now had his van, fund-raising would continue to make things more adaptable for him in his Spotland home and also with his on-going treatment.