A mum has shared her heartbreak after her 10-year-old son received a devastating diagnosis.
Doctors don’t know how long Dylan Garrod, from Grimsby in Lincolnshire, has left to live due to a progressive disorder known as Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
At first his mum Bethan Gray thought Dylan was just being clumsy as he kept falling over.
But after he complained of agonising pain in his legs she took him to see a doctor.
Blood tests eventually revealed that he had Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a genetic disorder characterised by progressive muscle degeneration and weakness.
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Speaking to Grimsby Live, Bethan said: “During the summer, he started falling over, but we thought he was just clumsy at first.
“He wasn’t in any pain and there didn’t seem to be an issue.
“However, he started telling me his legs were in agony and we only had three days out during the summer holidays because of it.”
Seven weeks after his first visit to the GP, the pair were given the diagnosis.
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“When we were told we needed to come in and find out the blood results, I knew it was bad. I collapsed on the floor and just started screaming,” Bethan said.
“When I was called back for another appointment, I walked in and said, ‘It’s Duchenne’s isn’t it’, and they just nodded.
“For the first week, everyone was very emotional, the whole thing was just crazy.”
Dylan is now having to use a wheelchair more often because he is struggling to walk.
Some people with the condition can live into their 30s, but due to Dylan’s rapid decline, it is not known how long he has left.
Bethan said: “He is the most positive little boy you have ever met in your life.
“He doesn’t know exactly what’s going on, but he knows he will be in a wheelchair.
“He told me that it’s alright because he’ll still be able to game and play basketball in a wheelchair.
“He is such an angel, and when he catches me crying he’ll come and give me a hug to cheer me up.”
Now Bethan and the family are looking into treatments that could help to improve Dylan’s life.
“He will be on steroids for life now to try and keep any strength he has left,” Bethan added.
“There is also the possibility of gene therapy that could see him live to his forties if it works.”
Bethan has started a GoFundMe page to help with travel costs for appointments and to raise money so that Dylan can enjoy life as much as possible.
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