Stephen of Fletton Avenue fulfils a lifelong dream for his 50th birthday
Stephen a lifelong Manchester United fan, recently celebrated his 50th birthday with a trip of a lifetime to Old Trafford to watch Man Utd play Wolves followed by a VIP Legends Tour with Norman Whiteside!
In the run up to Stephen’s big birthday, Service Manager, Jo Connolly and the team at Fletton avenue, were keen to do something extra special for Stephen so they started brainstorming ideas on all the things that Stephen loves that they could include in the celebrations.
Not wanting to give away too much of the surprise but wanting to make sure the ideas they had in mind were in line with Stephen’s wishes, Jo asked Stephen, “if I could arrange this for you, would it be something you would like?” Stephen immediately said that it definitely would and with that the team got planning not one, not two, but three birthday celebrations to mark the special occasion!
Stephen who has Prader-Willi Syndrome, (PWS) a rare genetic condition characterised by an insatiable appetite and lack of satiety cues that can lead to life threatening obesity, has lived with Consensus for 16 years, first at Gretton House where, with the support to manage his diet and maintain an active lifestyle, he was able to lose more than half his body weight, going from 147kg to 67kg. He subsequently moved to Fletton Avenue where he has successfully maintained his weight and healthy lifestyle.
Life expectancy for individuals with PWS is around 30-35 years so to reach the age of 50 was a huge milestone which was another reason the team were keen to mark the occasion.
Part 1: Stephen’s Elvis themed birthday party
Stephen loves socialising and has a big friendship group within the local community. He is also a massive Elvis fan, so Jo and the team organised an Elvis themed 50th birthday party for him at a local night club and invited all his friends along to celebrate.
Stephen enjoyed getting dressed up as his idol and everyone was up on the dancefloor and having an amazing time!
Part 2: Stephen’s special lunch date with girlfriend, Emma
The team helped to organise a romantic meal for Stephen and his girlfriend Emma who lives at Perrywood House. The couple went to a local carvery and had a fabulous time! Although Stephen and Emma’s support workers accompanied them, they were happy to give the couple their space to enjoy their meal and each other’s company.
Part 3: A trip of a lifetime to Old Trafford to watch Man Utd and attend VIP legends tour
On Saturday 1st February, Stephen and his support worker caught the train from Peterborough to Manchester. After checking into the Copthorne Hotel they went to the stadium and watched the Man Utd vs Wolves match. The next morning, Stephen attended the VIP Legends tour hosted by Norman Whiteside which involved a full tour of the stadium and the changing room, a Q&A session with Norman, a three-course meal and a chance to have an autograph and photograph and a special gift.
Stephen absolutely loved the whole experience! He was especially excited to go in to the changing rooms and seeing his favourite players shirts hanging up. He was also really excited to meet Norman and have the opportunity to ask him what his favourite goals were. He was delighted with his response which included his 1985 goal again Everton – one Stephen particularly likes.
Jo said, “We were thrilled to be able to organise three fabulous celebrations for Stephen to mark this very special birthday. Stephen had an amazing time at each one but the trip to Old Trafford really was a dream come true for him and it was wonderful to see him so excited and happy on his return, he really was on cloud nine!