Twelve-month-old Blake Hanchett from Pocklington in England was like most other babies: A fit, gentle and lively little happy-go-lucky.
But on March 21, just after his very first birthday, Blake was with the babysitter when she suddenly noticed that the boy’s arms were completely limp.
Blake was rushed to York Hospital for a check-up. There, the CT scan showed that the little boy had suffered brain damage as a result of a stroke.
Got several punches
Blake was transferred to the pediatric neurology department at Leeds General Infirmary. He stayed here for the next 16 weeks with his mother.
During that time, he was hit by at least four more blows, the newspaper writes The York Press.
After 16 weeks, little Blake was finally able to come home to his father Chris and sister Vienna. But the brain damage has left the boy completely unable to walk.
In an interview with The York Press, the father says that his son had a stroke as a result of being born with narrow carotid arterieswhich are placed on either side of the neck.
He also has narrowed blood vessels that cannot be treated.
– The doctors said that it is rare for someone so young to have a stroke, but that it is more common than you think, says Chris Hanchett.
According to Norwegian Health Informatics (NHI) crack formation in carotid arteries is the cause of an estimated two percent of all strokes.
–
The accumulation of blood inside the blood vessel wall bulges inwards towards the cavity of the blood vessel. This can lead to prevented blood flow – in the worst case, it can mean a complete stop of the blood flow.
If it were to come to a complete stop, the consequence would be a stroke. This means that part of the brain loses its blood supply and oxygen supply.
NHI states that crack formation in carotid arteries is a more frequent cause of stroke in people younger than 45 years.
As part of the fundraising, Tanta will bungee jump from the 37m high Larpool Viaduct in Whitby. It is something she has previously vowed she would never do.
– I will throw my fears aside for Blake and his family, and take the step – or probably be pushed, she says before ending:
– Because the fear I experience cannot be compared to what Blake’s family goes through every day.
The bungee jumping is scheduled to take place on 7 August.