A football-mad youngster who was initially told he had growing pains in his leg has been diagnosed with a disease that has caused part of his thigh bone to 'die', his parents have said.
Kyan Giblin, 12, is a football fanatic and playing for his local team, Stretton Eagles Junior Football Club under-12s side, was his life.
But now the youngster has been forced to give it up after being diagnosed with Perthes disease, which affects the blood supply to the femur bone.
Kyan was a fit and health youngster but in October he began to complain that his leg hurt, said his mum Emma, 38. When the de Ferrers Academy school boy developed a limp a few days later his parents took him to the doctors.
Initially they could find nothing wrong and everyone thought the issue could be down to growing pains, said his dad Dave, 40.
The couple then took Kyan to an accident and emergency department because he was suffering an intense pain in his knee.
Test were carried out and it was found he had Perthes disease.
Now walking even short distances is painful for Kyan. He was forced to give up his beloved football in January and has been left upset as he watches see his friends go outside to play, while he cannot join them, said Emma.
Making the short walk from his home in Stretton to The de Ferrers Academy, in St Mary's Drive, is impossible, as Kyan's hip is so stiff. He now needs crutches to go anywhere.
Kyan will require reconstructive surgery on his pelvis within the next few months and will be left in a wheelchair during recovery. It is hoped the surgery will cure the disease, but sometimes it does not work, the family have been warned.
Dad Dave, said: "This condition means that his thigh bone in his hip joint has died and is crumbling.
"He needs to have a series of procedures and operations to try and contain the bone he has remaining.
"At the moment he can only walk very short distances with crutches and will, at some point, need to use a wheelchair."
Emma said that even though her plucky son has had to stop playing football, he remains in high spirits.
She said: "He's actually been really positive, of course he gets down in the dumps about it all though occassionally.
"When his friends are going out to the park and playing and he can't join them; he gets frustrated.
"He does fully understand what's going on. Obviously it's a frightening prospect. It is really hard. He is such an active boy and it is stopping him."
Kyan has a younger sister Niamh, nine.
Emma said: "They didn't do an X-ray initially, but they had a good poke around and said it could have just been growing pains.
"Over Christmas he had more problems. On January 4, my husband had to pick him up from school because Kyan called and said he couldn't walk home."
The family were told in February that Kyan was suffering with Perthes disease.
The family have been told the operation could contain the disease, however they have been warned in some cases it does not work and further complications could develop in the future.
There is also a high likelihood that Kyan will require a hip replacement youngster than most of 30 onwards.
Emma said: "He's normally such a healthy boy. He loved going to trampoline park and was always on his bike, especially in the summer. Hopefully he should be able to play again."
Stretton Eagles is now organising a charity fund-raising match of football to collect money for the Perthes Association, a charity dedicated to researching the condition.
This will be held on Sunday, June 3, at the Burton Albion Community Football Centre, next to the Pirelli Stadium, in Burton. All proceeds will go to the charity.
Kicking off at 2pm, the game will see parents battle it out against coaches of the club. The family are all hoping to attend, with dad, Dave playing for the parents side.
Kyan will be going to watch, as long as his surgery is not held before.
A spokesman from the club said: "We would like to use this to raise money for the Perthes Association, who use the money to fund research into the condition. We would also like to raise awareness of Perthes and see this as a good way to do this.
"All donations will be massively appreciated."
Mum Emma said it was 'overwhelming' that the game is being arranged in response to her son's diagnosis and that she has been blown away by the number of people who have offered their support across the last couple of months.
A dedicated online fund-raising page has been set up to allow anyone to make a donations, with £360 already raised from 28 supporters, at the time of writing. The link to the page is: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/dave-giblin
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What is Perthes disease?
This condition is also known as Legg-Calve-Perthes disease or Calve Perthes disease.
It impacts the blood being supplied to the growth plate on the end bone of the femur. This can cause it to soften and break down.
This disease can impact any child, and is not a result of an injury.
Blood supply will return to the bone after a number of months, forming new bone tissue and allowing the bone to regrow, however the process is typically painful.
The condition will begin as a pain in the hip or groin, or in Kyan's case, a limp. Walking and movement will be impacted, and the hip can feel stiff.
For more information go to www.perthes.org.uk or call 01483 306637.
