I’m A Celeb star Myles Stephenson gives update on son’s heartbreaking disability after he suffered a stroke
X FACTOR winner Myles Stephenson has shared an update on his two year old son Shiloh, who suffers from Hemiplegic cerebral palsy.
Last year the 32-year-old revealed that his baby son had suffered an unseen stroke, which had irreversibly damaged his brain, after they’d noticed some red flags when he was just six months old.
Now the Rak-Su frontman and Shiloh’s mother are doing their best to educate themselves and others about the condition, as well as trying to best support Shiloh.
But today, Myles took to social media to share some emotionally distressing news about Shiloh’s progress.
The condition which has left his right side in partial paralysis means that he’s required to wear splits to support his legs and frame.
Myles said: “Shiloh started with the ankle-high splint, which didn’t do its job. We then upgraded to the knee-high splint hoping that his heel would be able to plant with the knee-high splint, but that has also failed.
“The next phase is botox injections to relax the muscles in his leg, in the hope that it does do its job. The range of movement is lessening, so where we were at last phase, there is less range and movement in his legs, which is a tough one to take. I really sat and processed it, emotionally it’s tough for me.”
The singer then appealed to his followers for advice and tips on navigating the condition.
He said: “If anyone has any info that is going to beneficial to me and my family then please comment, your comment don’t go unseen and it helps me research more in this unknown territory that we’re going into.”
The reality star noticed the first telltale sign when Shiloh was six months- his right hand was balled into a fist and wasn’t being used correctly.
They then noticed that he was dragging his right foot and family urged them to get a GP appointment, who immediately referred them for further investigation.
Myles said at the time: “Multiple appointments & eventually a MRI scan would later show that he had damage on the left side of his brain which had affected his right sided limbs.
‘We was told Shiloh had a stroke sometime before, during or shortly after birth. Hearing the words hemiplegic cerebral palsy brought on a rush of anger, confusion & sadness.
‘It wasn’t being told that your son won’t be the next Messi or Ronaldo that hurt. It was the thought that doing his laces, spinning spaghetti on a spoon or playing certain games with friends might be a challenge for him. The small things.”
Little Shiloh was eventually diagnosed with hemiplegic celebral palsy which cause problems with movement, co-ordination and development.
Myles, had been in a relationship with his girlfriend for over a year at the time of their son’s birth in January 2022.
As a member of Rak-Su, he won the fourteenth series of The X Factor in 2017, with the group becoming the first all-male act to do so.
He appeared on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! in 2019, two years later where he finished in seventh place.
What is Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy
So what is Hemaplegic Celebral Palsy and how does it first present in patients?
The main symptoms of cerebral palsy bring problems with movement, co-ordination and development.
Hemiplegia means one side of the body is affected while monoplegia is where one limb is affected, diplegia is where two limbs are affected, and quadriplegia is where all four limbs, and usually the whole body, are affected.
Cerebral palsy is a neurological disorder that affects a patient’s movement, motor skills and muscle tone.
It affects around one in 400 children born in the UK to some extent.
In the US, approximately 8,000-to-10,000 infants are born with the condition each year.
Problem signs in a child include:
- Delays in reaching development milestones such as not sitting by eight months or not walking by 18 months
- Seeming too stiff or too floppy
- Fidgety, jerky or clumsy movements
- Weak arms or legs
- Muscle spasms
- Uncontrolled movements
- Shaking hands
- Walking on tiptoes