A Little Help From Finley’s Friends

In many ways Finley Stockton is just like any other two year old. He is a happy, attentive little boy who loves playing with his toys and spending time with his big sister. Like any small infant he is dependent on his parents, however Finley is a little more demanding than most children of his age. Instead of “toddling” around and causing havoc in his ‘terrible-twos’, his mum Claire describes Finley as being “ like an eight-month old baby”.



The specialists are not sure what is wrong with Finley but they think he has some form of rare brain and central nervous system disorder. His symptoms include Hypotonia, weakness of the muscles and ligaments, Microcephaly, which means he has a small head and brain, and severe growth and development delays. Finley also has reflux disease, which means he has difficulty keeping the contents of his stomach down, and he has a special tube in his tummy to help with his feeding. At first Claire didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary with her son. In the early stages her only concern was that Finley was “not smiling enough” but at 4 months old she started to get really troubled about his development. Claire recalls how: “Finley wasn’t smiling or rolling about and in many ways was just like a newborn”. At his 7 month check-up Finley was referred to a Consultant Paediatric Neurologist who later confirmed that he had a brain disorder.



Up until now the specialists have not been able to give a specific diagnosis. MRI scans show that Finley has a narrow Corpus Collosum and abnormal patches of white matter in his brain. The family are still awaiting the results of blood tests and muscle and skin biopsies that were taken in the hope that they will shed some light on his condition.

It is this uncertainty that Claire finds particularly frustrating: “Its awful because we just don’t know what is going to happen – is he going to be ok or will he just deteriorate?” This feeling of being in limbo is heart-wrenching for the family as they know that without any diagnosis there cannot be a prognosis.



Looking after Finley is not only emotionally but also physically exhausting. Claire works two days a week as a healthcare professional however all of her time outside of this is devoted to her son. Finley has problems feeding and may take some food orally but the rest must be fed via his special tube at night by either Claire or her husband. He also has problems going to the toilet and is frequently sick. Each day Claire carries out an intensive 40 minute physio program called Brainwave and Finley has numerous appointments that may include sensory sessions, separate physio, occupational therapy, music sessions, speech and language therapy, Portage nurse visits and Surestart play sessions. Claire receives help from her family and friends and she is especially proud of the way her daughter Lauryn has responded. At eight years old Lauryn is extremely mature and is keen to help out wherever she can: “She helps release the tube in his tummy and she helps with his Brainwave program” Claire says “Lauren really cares about her little brother”. There has also been immense support for Finley outside of his immediate family and the Stockton’s have been overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity shown to their son. People have got involved with fundraising events such as sponsored walks, various charity nights and one of Finley’s dad’s friends ran the Great North Run. Local businesses such as Stratstone Landrover and The Village Hotel have also made donations and the Country Park Inn Hessle has made its premises available for various fundraising events.

One such event to be held in April has had a fantastic response from local businesses across the area. The Black Tie and Bustier Event will take place at the Country Park Inn on Hessle Foreshore on Wednesday April 16th. Ingram's Solicitors of Priory Park, Hull have already been generous enough to donate a bottle of champagne for the event's raffle, but have called Claire and have donated a further £600 for the event on top of offering to sponsor the event itself! Claire has been incredibly overwhelmed by the response from local businesses and would like to thank all involved so far. Stratstone Landrover will be the event's other big sponsor donating money and also product placement of top of the range vehicles at the event itself. There will be a fashion show on the night with a great selection of local boutiques providing items from their stores, people attending the event will see the likes of Crave Boutique, U No Who's (man) and Serenity showing items with models provided by East Coast Modelling Agency run by Leigh Jackson and Stuart Ayre; with their hair and nails done by Hair Lounge of Boothferry Road. Entertainment will be provided by Pop Legends (based in Howden) in the shape of the World's Number ONE Christina's Aguilera tribute act. Claire said on the matter: "I am VERY lucky to get her, good job I am cheeky!" The event has also already received some wonderful raffle prize donations; Dawn Crispin and Gary Leighton of The Wine Shop on Hessle High Road have given a Magnum of Champagne. Neil the manager of Gala Bingo at St Stephen's had donated a range of Easter Gifts; however with the event being after Easter Claire has passed these prizes on to Finley's Leapfrog Nursery in Brough.The money that these events provide is greatly appreciated as Finley cannot receive support from any charitable organisation, as he has not been diagnosed with a specific illness. The family currently have to pay for all of Finley’s special aides and equipment such as the special Brainwave program and they are currently saving up in order to buy a wheelchair for Finley as specialists’ fear that he may never walk.

The family would love to send Finley to swim with dolphins with local charity Operation Sunshine but again this takes precious funding and the family is reliant on money raised through fundraising events. The Stockton’s have high hopes for Finley’s future and little by little he is showing signs of improvement. Once they have received the results from his latest tests they plan to take him to Great Ormond Street hospital to try to get some more answers on his condition. Claire realises that the future is uncertain however she remains positive and strong for Finley and has no intention of giving up: “He is my son what else can I do but fight for him”.

If anybody would like to make a donation or has any further ideas on how Claire can raise both money and awareness please contact email her at claire-stockton@hotmail.com or if you would just like to find out more about Finley and the events taking place for him go to www.finleysfriends.co.uk, including a fashion show on the 16th April

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