A ten-year-old boy who was badly injured in a road accident has won a national award and a computer to “give him his voice back” after being nominated by a Saddleworth Parish councillor.
Adam McQuillan received the Children’s Award and an IPad from the Cerebra charity at a ceremony at Clough Manor Hotel in Denshaw after being put forward by Nicola Kirkham, councillor for Delph and Denshaw.
Ten-year-old Adam was involved in a serious road accident on Abbeyhills Road near his home in Roundthorn two years ago, leaving fighting for his life.
With multiple fractures to his skull and a serious brain injury, he spent ten weeks in a coma and eight months recovering in hospital. Doctors feared he might not survive.
His mum, Anita Claxton, who had no sleep for 48 hours after the tragedy, kept a vigil at his bedside and, against all the odds, Adam survived.
However he now has to cope with very complicated challenges as he has lost his speech, uses a wheelchair, cannot write and has had to relearn many skills he previously had.
But presenting the award, Cerebra praised Adam’s fighting spirit and generosity, saying he keeps smiling, stays positive and always thinks of others.
He has raised money for Manchester Children’s Hospital and the Destination Florida charity, which provides holidays for seriously-ill children and treated Adam to a trip to Disney World.
Mum Anita said: “We are all overjoyed at Adam winning this. It helps us to share his story and raise awareness of the impact of brain injuries.
“The IPad will give Adam a voice – one we have all dearly missed. It will be great for us if we can simply hear loudly, through Adam using the computer, that he is happy and loves us.”
Cllr Kirkham added: “We all gleamed with pride at how brave and inspirational Adam is.”
Elaine Collins, a charity spokeswoman, said: “After 18 months of silence, his family can’t wait to hear from him. It has a special communication application which creates a voice when he touches the screen.”
Cerebra, founded in 2011, strives to improve the lives of children with brain-related neurological conditions and offers support to their families.
It holds annual awards to recognise the achievements of some of the children it helps and this year eight youngsters received a trophy and IPad featuring special applications.
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