By Melissa Blewitt

Condobolin’s Tim Foster is intent going the extra mile for kids living with Cerebral Palsy.

He will be riding 500 kilometres during the month of May to raise awareness and funds for children living with the condition.

Tim is urging the local community to join him or to support the cause through making a donation. He has raised over $300 so far but has a goal of reaching $2,000 by the end of the challenge.

He will hop on his bike and log his kilometres until he racks up his nominated 500 kilometres. Tim plans on doing most of his riding on the weekends, as there are five weekends in May he can make use of in 2021.

At this stage he will be joined by David (Crocket) Hall and Kevin Griffiths on his journey. A number of local businesses have also pledged support for the initiative.

Cerebral palsy is a physical disability that affects movement and posture. It is the result of a combination of events either before, during or after birth that can lead to an injury in a baby’s developing brain. Cerebral palsy is an umbrella term for a group of disorders. It is a condition that is permanent, but not unchanging.

In Australia, there are approximately 34,000 people with cerebral palsy. Worldwide, the incidence of cerebral palsy is 1 in 700 births. There are currently 17 million people in the world who have cerebral palsy.

For most people with cerebral palsy, the cause is unknown. There is no known cure for cerebral palsy.

Tim says Cerebral Palsy affects many people, and while there is still no known cure, it is vital to fundraise to help research. Tim recently found out the seven-week-old child of his sister’s friend had been diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy.

“It touches so many, and I want to do what I can to help,” he stated.

According to www.cerebralpalsy.org.au there is no single cause of cerebral palsy.

“For most babies born with cerebral palsy, the cause remains unknown. Researchers now know that only a very small percentage of cases of cerebral palsy are due to complications at birth (e.g. asphyxia or lack of oxygen). Today, it is accepted that cerebral palsy usually arises from a series of causal pathways, i.e. a sequence of events that when combined can cause or accelerate injury to the developing brain,” it says on the website.

“For example: Although prematurity is the largest risk factor for cerebral palsy, it is the sequence of events (causal pathways) that led to the premature birth that may have caused the cerebral palsy, rather than the premature birth itself.

“In 13 out of 14 cases of cerebral palsy in Australia, the brain injury leading to cerebral palsy occurs either in the uterus (while the mother is pregnant) or before 1 month of age.

“Stroke is the most common cause in babies who acquire cerebral palsy after one month of age. The stroke may occur spontaneously or arise from surgical or heart complications.”

Cerebral palsy can affect a person’s posture, balance and ability to move, communicate, eat, sleep and learn.

“The parts of the body affected by cerebral palsy, the level of severity and combination of symptoms can differ for each person. For example, one person may have a weakness in one hand and find tasks like writing or tying shoelaces challenging. Another person may have little or no control over their movements or speech and require 24 hour assistance,” www.cerebralpalsy.org.au says.

“People with cerebral palsy may experience uncontrolled or unpredictable movements, muscles can be stiff, weak or tight and in some cases people have shaky movements or tremors. People with severe cerebral palsy may also have difficulties with swallowing, breathing, head and neck control, bladder and bowel control, eating and have dental and digestive problems.”

You can make a donation by visiting theextramile.org.au Hit the donate button and just search for the Tim Foster page.

You can also contact Tim on 0428 952 851 to find out more information or to join him in his quest.