A FATHER-OF-TWO has organised a charity concert at the Union Chapel in Islington, London, so that more children can benefit from the “life-changing” MAES Therapy his daughter has received.
London Angel-based architect Michele Tarroni’s daughter Francesca was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy when six months old. But thanks to pioneering physiotherapist Jean-Pierre Maes MCSP, the five-year-old is now walking and using her shoulders and fingers.
Mr. Tarroni, 45, has been amazed by the results. “It gives us hope,” he told the Islington Tribune. “It has changed our lives dramatically. It is about giving freedom – the freedom to play in the park or catch a ball. Jean-Pierre is giving this little body the possibility of sharing life.”
Mr. Tarroni, who lives in Stroud Green with his wife Valerija and Francesca’s twin sister, is now trying to raise as much money as possible to train more physiotherapists in the MAES Therapy Approach, which is not available on the NHS.
It is an intensive form of physiotherapy which helps children with Cerebral Palsy and similar neurological conditions by taking advantage of the plasticity of a child’s brain and allowing it to rewire and learn to function differently.
Mr. Maes’ Mill Hill-based clinic is the only place in the UK practicing the therapy.
Mr. Tarroni, along with colleague Andre Baugh, set up Easy Dragons charity at their workplace, architects Stanton Williams, to raise funds for more MAES Therapy.
Their next event is a concert, entitled:
‘Lonely Town’, at the Union Chapel, Islington on Tuesday, March 22, featuring Italian singer Gioel and her band.
The cost of staging the concert has been met by sponsorship. Money raised will go to training physiotherapists in MAES Therapy and to Cittadinanza Onlus, an Italian charity which has a centre in India for 30 children with physical and mental problems.
For tickets, visit www.easydragons.com
Published March 2016 in the Islington Tribune newspaper, London
