A FAMILY are desperate to raise £25,000 to help their beloved son who lives with cerebral palsy and dystonia.

David Dempsey, 20, suffered a severe infection when he was just one week old, resulting in damage to part of his brain. This means he has no control of his body and cannot walk or talk.

David, who lives in Manchester Drive, Leigh, also requires daily physiotherapy for his tightened muscles and a brain implant to reduce the painful spasms he suffers.

This year, he took part in a trial of Innowalk Pro, an exercise machine specifically designed for people with physical disabilities, after being selected at his specialist college Treloar in Hampshire.

His mum Caron Dempsey, 61, now wants to get David a permanent machine to strengthen his muscles, which costs £25,000.

A fundraising page has been set up which has raised more than £500 so far.

Caron said: “David is cognitively like any other person, the area of his brain that was affected is very small, so it’s only movement he suffers with. He is a truly lovely boy with a wicked sense of humour. He’s very sociable, he loves interacting with people and everyone loves him when they meet him. He’s a huge fan of Little Mix, and he enjoys playing video games where his brother helps him with the controls.

“It’s going to be a very long journey, we can’t just sit back and expect it to come to us just because we have a Go Fund Me. We’ve got lots of fundraiser ideas planned for the future too.

“It’s doing well so far, to say we’re pleased is an understatement. Anything that is given by anyone will help and mean something to David.”

David is an identical twin with Robert, and also has an older sister.

Charlotte Williams, who has been David’s carer since July, She said: “I have really bonded with him, it’s impossible not to really. In a couple of weeks’ time I’m going to be shaving my head to raise money for the cause. The machine helped him enormously and it will see positive changes.” Visit gofundme.com/f/help-david-walk. who lives with cerebral palsy and dystonia.

David Dempsey, 20, suffered a severe infection when he was just one week old, resulting in damage to part of his brain. This means he has no control of his body and cannot walk or talk.

David, who lives in Manchester Drive, Leigh, also requires daily physiotherapy for his tightened muscles and a brain implant to reduce the painful spasms he suffers.

This year, he took part in a trial of Innowalk Pro, an exercise machine specifically designed for people with physical disabilities, after being selected at his specialist college Treloar in Hampshire.

His mum Caron Dempsey, 61, now wants to get David a permanent machine to strengthen his muscles, which costs £25,000.

A fundraising page has been set up which has raised more than £500 so far.

Caron said: “David is cognitively like any other person, the area of his brain that was affected is very small, so it’s only movement he suffers with. He is a truly lovely boy with a wicked sense of humour. He’s very sociable, he loves interacting with people and everyone loves him when they meet him. He’s a huge fan of Little Mix, and he enjoys playing video games where his brother helps him with the controls.

“It’s going to be a very long journey, we can’t just sit back and expect it to come to us just because we have a Go Fund Me. We’ve got lots of fundraiser ideas planned for the future too.

“It’s doing well so far, to say we’re pleased is an understatement. Anything that is given by anyone will help and mean something to David.”

David is an identical twin with Robert, and also has an older sister.

Charlotte Williams, who has been David’s carer since July, She said: “I have really bonded with him, it’s impossible not to really. In a couple of weeks’ time I’m going to be shaving my head to raise money for the cause. The machine helped him enormously and it will see positive changes.” Visit gofundme.com/f/help-david-walk.