It’s not a disease often associated with children, but a two-year-old boy from Fredericton has been diagnosed with a form of Parkinson’s disease.
After months of visits to doctors in both Halifax and Saint John, Keegan Mclellan was eventually diagnosed with juvenile Parkinson’s dystonia.
"It's scary because you see children with disabilities, but you never expect it to happen to your own," said Keegan’s grandmother, Angie Mclellan.
Keegan's little hands tremour slightly when doing specific tasks. His little legs shake when he tries to stay still.
He’s is on medication that helps, but there are times when it seems even Keegan knows something's wrong.
"He gets very frustrated and throws his fork, spoon, he stubs his toes a lot, a lot of bleeding on his toes, but he's getting to the point now where he just wipes the tears away and keeps on going," said Keegan’s mother, Courtney Mclellan.
She says keeping keegan moving helps.
"They say if he tries to slow down it makes his brain work more, so he gets more muscle spasms. Then if he takes off running, it's easier on him," said Courtney Mclellan
Keegan's family says he has been referred to the Toronto Sick Kids Hospital. They're hoping doctors there have more answers.
All of the hospital visits and upcoming Toronto trip are costly, but the family is getting a little help from a local charity that wants to help.
"I had never heard of that in a child before so I was definitely surprised when I heard about it,” said Scott McKay, founder of Sound for Change. “We thought it'd be nice to do whatever we could to help out."
Taking advantage of the group's talents, Sound for Change has planned a live music event next month to raise money for Keegan. But Angie and Courtney Mclellan are also hoping to spread awareness for the disorder in case other children are going through the same thing.
"I just want to treat him as if he was not different than any other child," said Courtney Mclellan.
They're hoping to head Toronto sometime within the next six months.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Laura Brown.
