BRIDPORT: A three-year-old boy with a genetic disorder has had his life transformed by a trike donated by Bridport Round Table.

Louis Norris, from Alexandra Road, was born with 29 genes missing from chromosome 9 – a genetic disorder so rare mum Dinah thinks he is the only person with it in the world.

It is so rare, she says, that although doctors know those genes will affect his intellectual and physical development, they can’t tell her any more than that.

His therapists all agree however, that he would benefit from building up his muscles using a trike – but at £1,300 it was out of the family budget.

Dinah wrote to the Bridport Round Table to see if it could help.

She said: “You realise what local charities do when you are in a position to find equipment that the NHS won’t or can’t fund.

“Louis can’t walk, he has global developmental delay and he has a problem called hypotonia which affects the tone throughout his body.

“His physiotherapist, as part of his therapy programme, recommended the use of a trike because the movement uses both sides of the body and helps not only his muscle strength but also his cognitive development.

“The other lovely aspect is it gives Louis a different perspective on the world.

“It holds him upright and he can get out and about like other little children.

“He loves it but he doesn’t like stopping very much.”

Round table chairman Pete Dacey said it was a unanimous decision to help Louis.

He said: “We are only too willing to help, the whole idea of what we do is to raise money for local charities and good causes and individuals who need help.

“I have a nephew with cerebral palsy and he had one these trikes and I know the difference it made for him and how great it was and how expensive they are.

“There was not a second thought about it.”

It wasn’t until Louis was 10 months old that his condition was diagnosed.

From the outset he had lots of feeding difficulties and spent time back in hospital.

At about four months it was noted he wasn’t developing as he should but the final diagnoses came at 10 months.

Dinah said the Unique charity holds a database for people worldwide with chromosome disorders – and there is no-one on it with Louis deficiency.

She said: “The only thing the geneticists can tell us for sure is the chromosome is associated with intellectual ability and global development delay but they don’t know anything else.

“They have no idea what his prognosis or future problems will be.

“It was horrible to start with but now we have a very happy little boy who has started Mountjoy Pre-School.

“We are very well supported by all the medical team who have worked with Louis, by the school and we are very lucky and for the Round Table to say ‘yes of course we will help you out’ was amazing.”