Watch eleven year old boy with rare life limiting condition’s amazing reaction as he is told his wish has come true

Finley, from Oundle, was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy aged 7 – a rare, life-limiting genetic disease which causes progressive muscle weakening.

The condition currently has no cure, and the young lad is currently wheelchair bound.

His family are still devastated by the diagnosis, and learning to live with the condition - but charity Make-A-Wish UK has helped put a smile on their faces, by providing gaming mad Finley with a new computer and chair.

Dad Andrew said: “It takes his mind off the condition – off what he can’t do. He’s interested in coding and design, and this PC has opened up a whole new world of possibilities. It means a lot to him, and to us.”

The moment Andrew told Finley his wish had come true was captured on camera - with Finley punching the air with delight at the news.

Finley was diagnosed with the rare disease aged 7, after parents Andrew and Debbie noticed he was regularly losing his balance.

Debbie (53) said: “At first, they referred us to a physiotherapist, but within a few minutes of watching him walk they knew something was wrong.”

Finley was referred for blood tests, and the family endured eight weeks of waiting before they received the diagnosis.

“We were devastated,” said Andrew. “Just devastated.”

Predominantly affecting boys in early childhood, Duchenne gradually causes muscles to weaken and gets worse over time. It is understood to be a genetic condition.

Debbie said; “Finley is a really happy boy. Really bright and kind. He loves his friends.

“As he’s getting older, though, he’s getting a bit isolated and frustrated – he can’t always do what the other boys his age can do.”

Over Christmas 2020, Finley – aged 9 at the time – fell over and was unable to get back up. He has been wheelchair-bound ever since, with Andrew carrying him manually from his wheelchair to bed every night, and back again every morning.

“One thing he really loves is gaming,’ said Debbie. ‘It’s a place where he can be like any other child his age.”

Finley now takes daily steroids to try and slow the progression of the disease and attends regular check-ups with the neuromuscular team at Adam Brooks Hospital. He will soon begin appointments at Great Ormond St Hospital with a specialist cardiologist to keep an eye on his heart.

“He’s getting older and asking more questions,’ said Debbie. ‘But it’s hard – we don’t know what to tell him. Eventually he will lose the strength in his heart, but will that be in 5 years, or 25 years?

“We try to take it one hospital appointment at a time.”

For now, Andrew and Debbie try to fill Finley’s life with as much happiness as possible. They’ve recently acquired an all-terrain wheelchair, so that Finley can enjoy adventures in the countryside with his two beloved rescue dogs, Lucy and Poppy.

“We try to do as much as we can to take his mind off his condition,’ said Andrew. ‘The gaming PC helps with that enormously. We know he’s okay when he’s gaming – he’s safe, he’s happy, and that’s all that matters.”

Jason Suckley, Chief Executive at Make-A-Wish UK, said: “When a child like Finley is diagnosed with a critical condition, the joy of childhood is brought to an abrupt end with treatment plans, appointments and worry taking over. The power of a wish – in this case, a gaming PC - helps to revive a childhood stolen by critical illness, by giving Finley a place to focus on what’s possible, rather than what’s not.

“With 503 children waiting for their wish across the UK – 35 of whom live in the East Midlands - we need to raise £1.2 million to clear the Wish Map by World Wish Day on April 29th.

“Critically ill children and their families have been waiting long enough. By donating today at https://www.make-a-wish.org.uk/east-mids/, you have the power to light up the darkness for more children like Finley.’