Brittle-boned boy walks

Press, 18 January 1986, Page 27

Brittle-boned boy walks

NZPA-AP London Paul Hampshire has taken the biggest step of his life—he has walked for the first time in more than three years. For the courageous teenager it was a major triumph in his battle against “brittle bones,” which has

kept him wheelchair-bound since 1982.

Paul, aged 14, has broken his legs more than 100 times. He had almost given up hope of ever walking again. But thanks to a newly developed “space suit” which inflates around his legs to make a splint, his

hopes were renewed when he took his first few steps. His mother, .Mrs Linda Hampshire, said: “It was the first time, he’s walked, and when he realised his legs would take his weight his face just lit up. “We never thought he would walk again, it was marvellous. We just want to get him back on his feet permanently now. It looks as though there is hope. We are extremely proud of him.”

Paul, of Broad Lane, Bradford, is one of only about 2000 people in Britain who suffer from the disease, which is caused by a lack of protein in the bones. Surgeons put steel rods in both

his legs last year. Mrs Hampshire said Paul would practise walking every day, with the aid of a frame, to help him build up his muscle and bone strength. As his legs strengthen the amount of air in the splints will gradually be reduced. Mrs Hampshire and her husband, Mr Neville Hampshire, run a newsagency in Bradford. She said there would have been no hope, without the £450 ($1296) space suit provided by the Brittle Bone Society. “It’s nothing short of a miracle,” said Mrs Hampshire. “Who knows, one day he might even kick a football again.”