Lake Lynch: Fundraiser launched for live-changing surgery for little Rotherham boy with tumour and epilepsy

And members of a Rotherham gym have come together to do their bit to raise money for little Lake Lynch, who is only 14 months old and has recently been diagnosed with an extremely rare type of brain tumour, hypothalamic hamartoma, as well as a rare from of epilepsy.

The tumour is placed deep inside his brain, pressing on his pituitary gland which is the area responsible for hormones and emotions.

Lake’s family has been told he could go through puberty as early as five years old if this is left untreated. On an online Go Fund Me page for Lake, his family explain the decision they are facing.

“Operating is risky and complications could cause further cognitive defects, but what else are we going to do? If nothing is done he will just begin to deteriorate slowly,” Lake’s family wrote.

His condition is so rare that only 30,000 people in the world have it.

Lake’s family aim to raise £35,000 to cover the cost of an operation that is known for being less invasive than thestandard operation for this type of tumour. It’s estimated that there is a 93 per cent chance that it will completely stop the youngster’s seizures.

Members of CrossFit Community gym in Rotherham have decided to help fundraise for the family, taking up a CrossFit challenge. CrossFit is a form of high-intensity training, consisting of a mixture of Olympic weightlifting, powerlifting, gymnastics and HIIT cardio.

On March 4 and 5, some 20 members of the group will be completing 24 workouts in 24 hours, in an attempt to raise funds.

Kennedy and Josh, baby Lake’s parents, said: “We have a long journey ahead of us and this impacts our life daily. Watching your child have multiple seizures is heartbreaking and knowing each one can cause damage is something no parent should ever have to worry about.”

Hannah Berridge, a member of the CrossFit Community, said: “It’s a big challenge ahead but it’s nothing in comparison to what that little boy’s going through so it provides that drive. I normally train and keep fit so I wanted to do something that would really push me out of my comfort zone and challenge me physically.

“Knowing what he’s going through will give us that push. When we’re 22 hours into 24 it will be that reminder of why we’re doing it and what he’s going though that pushes us to do it,” she continued.

Lake’s mother, Kennedy, added: “We would like to thank CrossFit Rotherham for putting such an exciting yet challenging fundraiser together to help raise money for our little boy. We would also like to say a massive thanks to Ryan Cheetham who saw our story and wanted to help organise this event as soon as he could. We’ve already had so many more donations coming through to push us closer to our goal. We are extremely grateful.”

The family has also thanked all the companies sponsoring the event, those donating and taking part.

You can donate to the family’s Go Fund Me, here.