Dad carried his son to hospital after he couldn't get out of bed

A dad had to carry his son to the hospital after he awoke and said he couldn’t get out of bed. Chris Harry, from Bebington, thought “nothing of it” when his youngest, Bobby was complaining about some pain.

The 39-year-old and his wife, Rachael, 35, put it down to growing pains as Bobby was seven at the time. However, one morning, Bobby said he wasn’t able to stand up from the pain, and that’s when the two realised the situation was a lot more serious than they initially thought.

The dad-of-three told the ECHO: “He was just complaining his legs were sore. But we thought nothing of it. We just put it down to growing pains. It was happening for a few weeks, but one morning, we went to get him out of bed, and he said he couldn’t get out of it.

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“I said, ‘What do you mean?’ and he just explained he couldn’t move. He said he was too sore. I didn’t think it was anything serious, but then he couldn’t stand up. It was terrible; I had to carry him to the hospital.”

After a round of tests, Bobby was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis and spent the next 10 days in Arrowe Park Hospital being treated for the condition. Although not taken daily, Bobby does rely on pain medication for as and when it is needed. He also has check-ups with the doctors every six months.

In the UK, about one in 1,000 children under 16 years old have juvenile arthritis. The chronic condition causes joint inflammation and can affect a few or many joints at once.

Chris added: “He still suffers. He gets aching legs.”

Now, being able to manage the pain, Bobby has been able to get back to doing what he loves - golfing. The child prodigy recently opened the Wirral University Teaching Hospital Trust’s fundraising charity golf day. He set off the first tee at the Lancaster Golf Club and was able to qualify for the Junior Golf World Championships, set to take place in Ireland next year.

Chris said: “Seeing Bobby back out on the golf course, especially after everything he’s been through, is something I’ll never forget. He’s shown so much courage and determination.

"We’re incredibly proud of him and so thankful to the hospital staff who made his recovery possible. Qualifying for the World Championships is just the icing on the cake.”