Matthew Smith;

The whole idea of him starting school scared the hell out of me. He had lot of early intervention and with a lot of hard work from me and him he was slowly starting to feel a bit more comfortable in the world. Just as he started grade prep the Doctor Who repeats started on abc2. We were hooked from the start. To see a man who had amazing adventures and conquering big enemies without hurting them was amazing. It brought and added courage to my son. Then the best thing happened. His prep teacher found out Liam loved Doctor who and she told him she was a who fan from way back. He started to trust her and within a couple of months he started to communicate with her and by the end of that year he was talking to everyone within the school, it may only be a few words but that was something we never thought was possible. He had to have a MRI at the end of that year. Having a 6 year old be still for over 40mins is no easy thing. He did it and again it was because of Doctor Who. He was able to watch a Doctor who episode while in the MRI machine. From this scan they found a large arachnoid cyst in his brain, covering the left frontal and temporal lobes. Now this cyst isn’t life threatening but where its positioned it has been the cause of all his language, anxiety and his motor skills problems. They couldn’t remove the cyst as it would cause brain sag and would cause more issues. His skull is the size of a adult males, it had grown .5 CMS in 6 months so the neurosurgeons decided it best if he had a shunt inserted into his head to relive the pressure and stop the skull from growing. This was November last year. Such a brave boy. We were prepared for the operation to be Jan 14 but received a phone call late Thursday the 8th Nov 13 and told his operation will be Monday the 11th Nov 13. We had no time to think in the end that was probably a good thing. As a treat we went to the doctor who pop up shop in Richmond that weekend. He was so so brave, 2 incisions on his head a burr hole drilled into his skull tubing pushed under his skin from his head to his stomach, then the final incision on his stomach. He only cried when he was in pain, put up with all the poking and prodding, he had enough when the stitches were to come out. Got hysterical frantic pure fear. They gave him gas and even that didn’t help. The doctor told him off saying he was very grumpy. I was so annoyed as he had put on a brave face for so long and the one time he can’t cope they tell him off. A week after his operation he turned 7 almost 2 weeks after the op we went to the cinema to see the doctor who 50th special. To see his face while watching it was a memory I’ll always keep. He is a wonderful boy and my idol. He has recovered wonderfully since the operation. Lots of small things improving and its encouraging that this is happening so early. Only good things to come. He has had a rough start but he understands why, he never complains and takes it on the chin when others his age can run faster than him. He has such great courage and strength he has conquered so much at such a young age. I just want to help make this one dream come true for him. If he could see Matt Smith just to say Hi would be a life time memory he will always keep. The doctor has helped my son show the world who he really is and it would mean the world to him. I would give the world to my children but unfortunately the world isn’t cheap. I can try and buy tickets to the event but even then we may not be able to get to meet him. I need you to help me by liking this page and sharing it. If we can send Liams story bouncing around the world on facebook the right people may see it. By doing this we can also help send awareness about arachnoid cysts to the world. Many times my heart has broken seeing the hard times he has gone through. Each time he takes it on the chin and continues on. How brave he is, braver than I’ll ever be. Liam is one of my heros and Doctor who is another for the joy it brings Liam.