Twins are attempting to raise £80k for life-changing surgery

Born prematurely at 32 weeks, Tommy Monument, now three years old, underwent surgery that, although life-saving, led to a serious brain injury and, at seven months old, he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy affecting all four limbs.

Tommy is unable to sit, stand or walk unaided, and suffers daily discomfort and pain.

His family want to fund a procedure known as SDR surgery, which is not available on the NHS due to its severity, in order to reduce the discomfort Tommy feels and possibly allow him to gain more independence and even walk. This led his devoted twin sister, Eva, to, alongside her brother, take on the challenge to cover roughly a mile a day in Wroxham throughout October.

On Sunday, the three-year-olds crossed the finish line raising money in support of Just4Children, the charity raising funds for Tommy, to have the £34,000 private operation at Portland Hospital in London, as well as the intense and expensive physiotherapy needed before and after the surgery to get the best possible outcome for him.

Their great-grandparents, Tessa and John Hall, said the pair were a brilliant team.

‘I think it’s wonderful what they’re trying to do,’ said Mrs Hall.

‘He doesn’t see himself as different to anyone else, his sister is quite shy but he is quite the reverse and all in there straight away, very outgoing.

‘It’s sad that the NHS can’t fund the operation but I have the utmost faith in them that they will raise enough so that he can be given the opportunity to, in Tommy’s words, run as fast as Eva when he’s had it. It’s such a lovely thing to hear, even if he may still not be able to to that extent.’

She added they kept up-to-date regularly with how they were getting on.

‘We last saw them at Christmas and then they came to Guernsey last summer,’ she said.

‘They love Guernsey, although they go to many exotic places. They were brought up in Hong Kong. They love coming here and going on a trip to Herm with Tommy on his Wizzybug [an electric wheelchair].

‘They are a pair and I was sent a WhatsApp message of them when they saw themselves on TV, they’ve been on the Norfolk news and on Channel 5, and they thought it was great. It was funny to hear them when they saw it.

‘I hope they’ll see the funds raised soon.’

They have raised more than £51,000.

According to North Norfolk News, Tommy’s mum, Alex Monument, said: ‘It’s been brilliant, Tommy and Eva are very proud of themselves, they’ve been out in rain pretty much every day through October, which was really good fun for them, but I think they’re looking forward to a rest now.’

Tommy has now been accepted to receive treatment at Portland Hospital between April and June next year.

n To donate to Tommy’s surgery and physiotherapy, visit https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/TeamTommyforSDR.