The Daily Populous Saturday August 24th, 2024 evening edition
Authored by dailyrecord.co.uk and submitted by SubstantialSnow7114

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An inspirational little boy with cerebral palsy has defied the odds by climbing Ben Lomond.

Nero Giaffreda, seven, has limited use of the right-side of his body after being born with the condition. The disability means that the youngster, from Hamilton, has restricted movement - particularly in his right hand - and can also struggle to walk on his right leg.

He's never let that hold him back, though, and after learning to swim at the start of summer, Nero then decided to climb seven hills before taking on one of Scotland's largest mountains, Ben Lomond, on August 11. The Primary 4 pupil also practises Judo for a local inclusive team and the active lad has aspirations to compete for his country when he's older.

Proud dad Mani, 37, told the Record: "Nero never ceases to amaze us. He's such a determined, active little boy. He's never let his disability hold him back - and this has been his most adventurous summer ever. He learnt to swim, even though only one half of him works properly, and we decided to try hillwalking.

"He completed Arthur's Seat then seven or eight other hills - including Ben A'an and Conic Hill - all the way up to Ben Lomond. It was his idea to do the Munro, he was determined on doing it before going back to school.

"We were discussing whether he thought he could do it - and when we finally tackled it, it took us 10 and a half hours to complete it. We started in the sun and ended in the dark.

"It's only supposed to take between six and eight hours and on the way down we were starting to worry. It was pitch black and he was absolutely knackered and sore but he was delighted to complete the challenge.

"We've been trying to work it out, but we think he must be one of the youngest people with such a severe disability to complete a Munro."

Nero's disability means he is slower at walking as his leg can become tight, which can sometimes cause him to lose his balance. Mani admits that, after his son was born after just 29 weeks and had to stay in hospital for 10 weeks after birth, he could never have imagined him being so active and he says his son is an inspiration.

The dad-of-three said: "We were so unsure when he was born how the cerebral palsy would affect him, but we've never wanted his disability to hold him back. We always encourage him to learn new things, and teaching him how to swim has been a big thing this year - it's a massive milestone.

"He's a judo player too and he wants to be a Paralympian when he grows up. Judo is only for the visually impaired so if Nero was going to compete it would need to be Special Olympics, but he wants to swim in the Paralympics."

Mani added: "There are varying levels of cerebral palsy and we are quite fortunate, in a way, that Nero is only affected one side - but we want him to be an inspiration to others.

"We are there for the good days and the bad days, when he's in pain and his muscles are sore because he's going through a growth spurt. But we still push him and ask him if he wants to keep going. He just loves to challenge himself. We couldn't be more proud of the wee man."

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QuantumLeapLife on August 24th, 2024 at 15:24 UTC »

Info: Nero Giaffreda, seven, has limited use of the right-side of his body after being born with the condition due to a bleed in the brain. He climbed the 974 meter/3,195 foot high Ben Lomond summit.

He’s so proud of himself in the photo but Reddit wouldn’t let me download to show you.

bogus-one on August 24th, 2024 at 14:08 UTC »

Wow!

rowan_sjet on August 24th, 2024 at 13:37 UTC »

Well done that lad!

Ben Lomond is a great hike as well.