Conan Marson, 7, paralysed by rare condition vows to play again
Doctors cannot say if Conan Marson will walk again after sudden paralysis, but the brave seven-year-old refuses to give up his rugby dreams.
A brave boy who was suddenly paralysed from the waist down by a rare spinal condition is determined to get back on the rugby field.
Doctors are still figuring out if Conan Marson, 7, will be able to walk again after discovering he had transverse myelitis in November.
Mum Dominique Marson said the disease came to light after Conan complained about having a sore back.
The Flinders View mum assumed it was from a fall at school, but the next day Conan had no feeling below his waist.
“He tried to get up out of bed to go to the toilet and just fell straight into the wall,” Ms Marson said. “He couldn’t stand, couldn’t sit, he had to lie down.”
Doctors were quick to refer Conan to the Queensland Children’s Hospital.
“To go from being a really healthy, football-mad, active seven-year-old to now wheelchair bound with no bowel function, no bladder function, no mobility. It has been a massive shock,” Ms Marson said.
Typical treatment for TM – including steroids and five rounds of plasma exchange – made no difference to Conan’s condition.
The exact cause of the condition is unknown, but it typically occurs after an infection or in people with auto-immune diseases.
The next step is for Conan to undergo extensive rehabilitation over weeks or even months. Doctors are still unclear as to whether he will be able to use the lower half of his body again.
Despite the unknown prognosis, Ms Marson said Conan had been “so strong” throughout the last three weeks and was determined to get back to playing rugby.
“He is the most resilient, most brave child I’ve ever met in my life; he hasn’t had a down day at all. He is still so sassy,” she said.
Originally published as Conan Marson, 7, paralysed by rare condition vows to play again
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