Dream comes true for brave Ben

8:29am Friday 2nd May 2008

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A 16-YEAR-OLD boy with a rare medical condition was granted his lifetime's wish during a trip to London.

Ben Cudlip, of Highfield Road, Bradford on Avon, has Niemann Pick disease, a degenerative and life-limiting condition affecting his brain and other vital organs.

The teenager was treated to a chauffeur-driven trip to London on April ??, to see his WWE wrestling heroes in action at the O2 arena, thanks to the Willow Foundation, a charity that grants wishes to seriously ill young adults.

Ben's mother, Linda, 43, said: "Ben was diagnosed 18 months ago but we have been searching for answers to his problems since he was nine.

"We have a lifetime care nurse who put me in touch with the Willow Foundation.

"I said he was mad on wrestling so they organised for him to have an evening at the O2 to see them."

Ben travelled to London with his mum, dad Andy, 51, stepdad Clive Burridge, 37, stepbrother Ashley, 10, and seven-year-old stepsister Emily.

He was taken backstage before the event to meet one of his heroes, Triple H, who chatted to him for half an hour and had photos taken with him.

Mrs Cudlip said: "It was really nice to meet him and see him in real life - he's such a gentle giant and really good with children.

"They even put Ben's picture up on the WWE wrestling website."

The family stayed the night in London at a luxury riverside hotel and spent the following day taking in the sights and going on the London Eye.

The treat topped off a good year for Ben, who received a £5,000 electric wheelchair from the Victoria and David Beckham Trust in October.

His lifetime care nurse contacted the charity, which is run by Victoria's mother, and they received a brand new wheelchair just a few weeks later.

Ben, who attends Wiltshire College Trowbridge every day for a foundation study course, already suffers from dementia and will eventually develop Alzheimer's Disease.

His mother said she wanted to have a record of his special day in London to help him remember in future years.

She said: "As his disease progresses he will not remember anything of these special days, so to have cut outs from the paper will help him.

"It's been a pretty good year for him, especially with kind donations like the wheelchair.

"It's just a great shame that he's in the position he's in that he has to ask for these things."