7year old Harry Parker Walks For First Time thanks to Tycoon Glenn Tamplin

22 May 7year old Harry Parker Walks For First Time thanks to Tycoon Glenn Tamplin

by Tasha Turner

Harry Parker is a 7 year-old football mad Cerebral Palsy sufferer from Hertfordshire who has for the first time in his young life walked this week.

It’s all down to a revolutionary operation at Great Ormond Street Hospital and the generosity of Billericay Town FC owner Glenn Tamplin.

Glenn Tamplin is a self-made multi-millionaire businessman. He has garnered a lot of media attention recently since he bought Billericay Town FC and his team motivation talk went viral with players singing R Kelly’s song- ‘The World’s Greatest’ and James Cordon & R Kelly tweeting about it.

Glenn Tamplin

Harry Parker was born with a rare form of Cerebral Palsy. He has never been able to walk and has been in and out of hospital for pretty much all of his young life and has always been in pain. Harry is a huge football fan and his dream is to one day play football with his friends.

A year ago, Harry attended a local football match, with his Dad. Glenn Tamplin was also at the match and asked Harry’s father what was wrong with Harry. Harry’s dad, also called Glen, informed Glenn Tamplin of the diagnosis. Glenn asked to be kept in touch with regards to Harry and offered to help with fundraising.

Several months later, Harry was finally accepted for pioneering surgery on the NHS called an SDR procedure- Selective dorsal rhizotomy which is a surgical procedure performed on the lower spinal cord. With his funding was cut this left the family devastated.

Harry Parker

Mr Tamplin and Glen, Harry’s father, had become firm friends and when he found out about the funding he offered to donate the money to Harry and his family so they could go-ahead with the procedure.

Harry had his operation just under 3 weeks ago, spending 4 days in ICU at Great Ormond Street but came home last Thursday as the operation was so successful.

Harry now has 18 months of physiotherapy ahead of him and hopes he might to be able to play football with his friends.

Glenn is naming the new disabled accessible stand at Billericay Town FC after Harry, which will have millions of pounds spent on it. Anyone with a disability in the local community will be able to join in at the club and watch the matches free of charge. On August 8th there will be a friendly match between Billericay Town FC and West Ham at the Billericay ground and Harry Parker will be the main mascot leading the team out.