Brave Austin Reid will walk the Melbourne Marathon 3km walk with Victorian Paralympian Matthew Haanappel
AT a when time most newborn babies are sucking in their first breaths, Austin Reid was unable to breathe at all.
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AT a when time most newborn babies are sucking in their first breaths, Austin Reid was unable to breathe at all.
It took 7 1/2 minutes for doctors to resuscitate him after a medical problem in utero starved his brain of oxygen.
It was feared those crucial moments would prevent him from walking or talking.
Three months ago, at age three, Austin took his first shaky steps with the aid of two sticks.
Austin has spastic quadriplegia cerebral palsy. The condition distorts messages from the brain to the muscles, making it difficult for sufferers to control the movement of their limbs.
At seven months, he was enrolled in the Cerebral Palsy Education Centre for daily physiotherapy, and Austin is now set to take part in the Melbourne Marathon's 3km walk this Sunday with Victorian Paralympian Matthew Haanappel, who also has cerebral palsy.