A 6-Year Old Colchester Boy Is Spearheading A Campaign To Raise Money For Physically Handicapped Children

Visit to Ben Clark who has chronic arthritis and is featured in a national fundraising campaign.

Ben Clark has constant pain from chronic juvenile arthritis which affected him suddenly when he was two years old. In Colchester, Essex he is seen with his mother, brother and sister on the way to his weekly hospital appointment for blood tests. Each month he goes to Harrow hospital for treatment with a new drug to alleviate his pain, and he has recently had surgery to help straighten his feet. At home, surrounded by Christmas cards and decorations, Ben lies on the floor while his mother Judy moves his legs in a cycling motion and massages his feet and hands. Judy Clark recalls the onset of Ben’s condition when he became stiff over a couple of hours and within two days he could not move. The daily routine involves a lot of exercising and taking Ben’s medicine and the splints he wears at night if they will be away from home. Asked what a bad day is like, Ben says his toes hurt all the time. Ben appears in a video produced by the Lady Hoare Trust to highlight the problems of 15,000 children disabled by Still’s disease throughout the country. He is seen on an exercise bike. Ben watches himself on the television set. Ben also features in a national fundraising campaign by the Lady Hoare Trust drawing attention to Children of Courage. Ben appears on a poster wearing splints on his arms. Funds will go towards research, treatment and support for the families of children affected. The reporter was Surrey Beddows for this video made to be shown in a news story on Anglia Television early evening news / magazine programme About Anglia.

Keywords

Arthritis; Still’s disease; Health; Medical treatment; Physical therapy; Fundraising; Disability

Additional Description

The Lady Hoare Trust. In 1962 the tragedy of Thalidomide struck some 600 families in the UK. Lady Mary Hoare, wife of the then Lord Mayor of London, established a trust to raise money and help the children who were born with missing limbs whether due to the Thalidomide drug or not. On 1st December 2004 Contact a Family (RCN 284912) entered into a transfer of charitable undertakings with the Lady Hoare Trust. https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/constituency-search/-/charity-details/3943202/full-print