A boy who received lengthy treatment at Great Ormond Street Hospital is aiming to overcome chronic pain to raise funds to help other child patients.
Harry Winstanley, seven, resorts to banging his head against the floor at night in a bid to ease the pain caused by a rare brain condition.
He was born with Chiari malformation, which causes the lower part of the brain to push into the spinal canal.
On October 12, accompanied by his father Richard and brother Jamie, Harry will take part in the hospital’s annual charity Race for Kids in Hyde Park.
Mr Winstanley, 35, said: “We wanted to sign up because it’s raising money for Gosh, which has had a big impact on Harry’s life. It’s a chance for him to give something back.”
Harry, from Bishop’s Stortford, first sparked concern when he began banging his head against his cot as a baby.
An MRI scan revealed Chiari malformation. Harry, inset, was referred to Gosh in 2013, where he underwent decompression surgery which involved removing bone from the bottom of the skull and a piece of the spine to create space for the brain.
Another operation opened the dura, the membrane around the brain, in a bid to ease the pressure.
When that had little impact, Harry underwent skull expansion surgery. His skull was cut from ear to ear and springs inserted like a “clamshell” to encourage the bone to grow back over the expansion. “It reduced the pressure inside his head but didn’t help with his headaches,” Mr Winstanley said.
Harry had further surgery at John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.
“He is still getting headaches. The doctors are unable to explain why he is still getting them,” his father added.
Spice Girl Emma Bunton, who is helping promote the race, said: “Having visited the hospital over the years, I know what a difference the money raised makes.”
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