ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. - When we first met five year old David Ferland and his mom, Lori 18 months ago, David was showing us his sports skills.
David plays challenger baseball, loves to golf and watch hockey.
His favorite team? "Sabres," says David.
David has cerebral palsy.
The only way he can get around is by using a walker.
Because of the spasticity in his leg muscles, David cannot get his feet flat on the ground and instead, can only move around on his tip toes.
"He's looked at my father, my mother myself and said why didn't God give me legs that work, so that I can walk and run like the other kids," said David's mom, Lori Radwan. "How do you explain to a child that you were made this way and I can't go back and change it?"
It turns out that there may be hope for David.
Lori, a single mom from Orchard Park, had read online about an operation that could help free up David's leg muscles.
Lori reached out to doctors at Women and Children's Hospital who examined David.
She found out that the surgery itself is only the first step in a very long process.
David will have to go through at least a year of intensive physical therapy after the surgery in order for it to have its greatest impact.
Once doctors were convinced that David was motivated, and that Lori would be dedicated to David's physical therapy regimen, the surgery became a go.
Scott Brown: "What would that mean to you as a mom that he'd be able to walk on his own and run and play with other kids?"
"It would mean everything to me. He's my world and for him to be able to walk without a cumbersome walker or to hit a baseball and run to first base, that would mean everything to me," said Lori. "That would make everything that we've gone through in the past couple of years, a hundred percent worth it."
Lori has explained the surgery to David.
Scott Brown: "Tell me once you get your operation what are hoping you'll be able to do?"
"Walk," says David.
It's the morning of the surgery and David, who is understandably nervous about what's about to happen has a ton of questions for his parents.
It's a stressful day for everyone.
David undergoes seven hours of delicate spinal surgery to identify and cut the nerves that are causing stiffness and spasticity in his legs that prevent him from getting his feet flat and being able to walk.
After the surgery, there's good news for David's parents.
"First and foremost everything went wonderfully. He's already awake," says David's neurosurgeon, Dr. Renee Reynolds. "Overall it couldn't have gone smoother, very happy with the outcome, with everything that happened in the operating room and now we just have to see how things go after."
Afterwards, Lori says "I'm doing incredible, I feel like a ten thousand pound weight has been lifted off me. He came through the surgery brilliantly, it couldn't have gone better and it's just an amazing feeling."
"Obviously it's not going to be short road to get him to where we want him, but he's on the way for sure," says David's dad, Jonathan Ferland.
Scott Brown: "And how optimistic are you that he'll be able to walk on his own?"
"One hundred percent optimistic, when he puts his mind to something he does it," says his dad.
I think his prognosis is great, he is the perfect candidate for this procedure as far as where the tone is, his motivation, his independence-level, his family and the support system that he has going for him," says Dr. Reynolds. "He really is the prime candidate for something like this and I expect him to do very well."
Following the surgery, David spends two weeks as an in-patient at a rehabilitation center in Rochester.
At five years old, for the first time in his life, David is able to stand on his own two feet and is learning to walk normally.
David, as young as he is, turns out to be as promised one motivated patient.
Over the following 18 months, David will continue to get physical therapy three or four days a week at Children's and at school, all designed to strengthen his leg and core muscles and to continually focus on walking normally.
Today, David is doing just great.
Just a couple of weeks ago, he received leg braces complete with the logo of the Sabres.
And look at this: David is now able to walk on his own!
Although he still has some weakness in one of his legs, literally and figuratively, he's taken huge steps over these past 18 months.
Today, David's even able to rock climb, one of the many things that was unimaginable to him before.
The first time he walked and just held my hand, that was incredible, because I didn't know when that would ever happen. So the fact we can do that on a regular basis now, is unbelievable, it's awesome," says his mom.
Says David simply, "I feel like I'm free, I can go walk by myself."
