Archie Westhead needs help to raise cash for a special speech device.
By Tania Martin
ARCHIE Westhead needs help to find his voice.
The six-year-old Ferny Creek cerebral palsy (CP) suffer is hoping hills residents will dig deep to help his parents pay for a special communication device.
His mother, Barbara said Archie desperately needed a Dyna Vox Vmax device to be given the chance to speak.
It costs more than $17, 094, but only a small amount – $4500 – is covered by a State Government rebate.
Mrs Westhead said it was disappointing the technology was available but only a small slice of it was covered by the government.
However, the family are determined to give Archie this opportunity to find his voice.
The machine is an electronic communication device with a voice output function.
“It will be able to speak Archie’s words for him and we will be able to hook it up to his classroom computer and it will print out his words,” Mrs Westhead said. “It’s amazing what technology can do to assist.”
Mrs Westhead said the device would give Archie more independence in the classroom.
She said it would also be a fantastic tool for his teachers and classmates to use to communicate with each other.
Archie was diagnosed with CP within hours of his birth, which is a condition that affects movement.
It is estimated one person is born with the condition every 15 hours and in most cases it’s diagnosed within the first 12 to 18 months of life.
Mrs Westhead said the diagnosis was a huge shock after she had such an easy pregnancy. But in the last two minutes of her labour everything went ‘horribly wrong’.
Archie had stopped breathing and had to be resuscitated, leaving his brain without oxygen for several minutes and leading to brain injury and CP.
Mrs Westhead said Archie’s condition was classified in the severe category but most of his problems related to mobility issues.
“Intellectually he is all there, he just needs a way to communication,” she said. “He has a lot to say and keeps them on their toes at school.”
The school in conjunction with Belgrave Rotary Club is now organising a trivia night later this month in a bid to raise the money needed to cover the short-fall for the machine.
The Westheads need to raise more than $12,000 to be able to purchase the device for Archie. Mrs Westhead said she would never have been able to organise the night without the help of the school, local community and La Trobe MP Jason Wood who have been the driving force behind the night.
The night will be held on Friday 30 July at Ferny Creek Primary School in School Road from 7pm and will include a 40 inch LCD TV, AFL season tickets, Gold Class movie tickets, power tools and a cubby house. Tickets for the night are now on sale from Mr Wood’s office by calling 9762 4066.
