Caleb (2) has severe cerebral palsy. Last year, he could not do any of those things, but seven months on from experimental stem cell treatment in Mexico he is doing them all, and more.
He used to suffer up to 30 seizures on an average day, 50 on a bad one. Now, he has four or five.
It is those "little" things that have given his parents, Shirley and Lindsay, hope that more improvements can be made to give him a better life. So, they are making plans to return to Mexico for another transplant of donor umbilical cord stem cells.
"When you do see improvements, it's hard not to give him that opportunity. He deserves it. We can't sit back and do nothing," Mrs Turner said.
The treatment was expensive, so the family was doing all it could to fundraise for the trip, which was expected to cost $45,000. They hoped an art auction at the Dunedin Community Gallery tomorrow would contribute up to half that.
"The generosity of people has been amazing. We have nearly 100 works from some fantastic artists."
Before his December treatment, Caleb, who developed cerebral palsy after a massive brain bleed just days after birth, could not walk, talk or roll over. He often choked when he ate and showed no emotion, making it difficult to tell if he was upset or sick.
He now laughed and cried, could clap his hands and roll over and had more control of his trunk. He could also put a spoon with food on it in his mouth and was going to kindergarten.
"To hear him laugh or cry, or see a smile on his face is just priceless. Now, I know when something is not right."
Mrs Turner hoped to go back to Mexico in September and was already thinking of her next fundraising project.
The Caleb Turner Treatment Trust fundraising auction will be held from 7pm in the Dunedin Community Gallery in Princes St. Tickets, at $15, are available by phoning 4534192 or via email shirley.turner@slingshot.co.nz.
Works are now on display at the gallery. Paper bids are possible.
