A BRAVE Greenock teenager who faced paralysis from the neck down when he was just four years old is now set to endure three complex operations within six months which carry huge risks for his mobility. 

Shaye Armour, 13, has congenital kyphosis scoliosis, a condition which causes his spine to bend forward.

Shaye is currently in the Royal Hospital for Children & Young People in Edinburgh recovering from having a halo traction device fitted to his skull. 

If Shaye heals properly, he will then undergo a spinal operation in April, and potentially another one in the autumn. 

Greenock Telegraph:
His mum Nicole, 34, says medics have warned that procedures, while necessary, carry with them the risk of paralysis. 

Nicole admits that the prospect of being stuck in a hospital bed for the next six months is beginning to affect her brave youngster.

She added: "Shaye has been through a few operations and takes it all in his stride but I know it's affecting his mental health now.

"I can see that it's starting to take its toll."

Shaye was born with the condition but Nicole says it wasn't picked up on for three years.

She said: "I just knew something wasn't right. He got referred to see if he had asthma and it was only then that the doctors finally noticed that something was wrong. 

"If he hadn't had surgery within six months after that, we were told he would have been paralysed from the neck down."

Greenock Telegraph:
In his first operation at the age of just four, Shaye had pins, screws and bolts fitted from the top of his neck to the middle of his back. 

When he was 11, doctors discovered that the fittings had started to detached from his spine, and had to perform bone grafts.

For the last two years, Shaye had been using a chest brace at home but when his breastbone was almost piercing through his chest, he had to go into hospital and have the halo fitted. 

Nicole said: "They're trying to stretch his neck this time instead of stretching his back. 

"There are pins around his head that are built into his skull. 

"A wire goes up and over the back of the bed, and there are weights added which stretch his neck."

Nicole is trying to secure a specialised halo traction wheelchair for Shaye which would allow him to get up out of bed. 

Greenock Telegraph:
She claims she has been told that a wheelchair of this type does exist but medics have said it was 'confiscated' after it was used by the previous patient. 

Nicole, who has two other children, Draven, five, and Killian, three, said Shaye faces being stuck in a hospital bed for the next six months until all of his procedures are completed unless he gets the chair. 

She added: "I think leaving him without the chair is disgusting. 

"Having it will really help with his mental health and his recovery.

"He's been having a lot of issues with acid reflux and his digestion because he's lying down all the time. 

"He gets an hour a day of schoolwork in hospital as well, and if he was in the chair, he would be able to fully engage with it instead of being in bed. 

"His surgeon has even asked if another one can be built, but we're not getting any further forward. 

"I just don't understand what the issue is with it.

"The quicker he has it, the better it will be for his recovery and his healing."

Nicole hopes that Shaye will get home for a few days on and off over the next six months. 

Greenock Telegraph:

To make his stays at home comfortable, Nicole has set up a fundraiser to help with the cost of the equipment he needs. 

She says he will need a special bed to accommodate the traction equipment, and adaptations will have to be made to the bath. 

Nicole said: "I want to thank everyone who has donated so far. 

"The doctors are running out of options in terms of what they can do for his mobility so I really hope these operations are the last ones he has to go through.

"I just want to make things as comfortable as I can for Shaye when he comes home."

Dr Tracey Gillies, medical director of NHS Lothian, said: "Specialist wheelchairs for children who have had spinal surgery need to be custom built for each individual child.

"This process can take between three to four months.

"In this instance, the clinical recommendation was for this surgery to go ahead as soon as possible.

"This unfortunately meant that a custom wheelchair could not be built in the incredibly short timeframe.

"Access to education is available for all patients who are well enough, this includes bedside teaching.

"This is provided by the specialist City of Edinburgh Council hospital school’s team."

To donate to the fundraiser for Shaye log on to www.gofundme.com/f/please-help-shaye