Teddy was just three months old when he was diagnosed with CTNNB1 syndrome, a genetic disease similar to cerebral palsy. But there’s a lot about the disease that is still unknown. His parents don’t know if he will ever walk or talk, but research could provide a cure, which is why your donation today is so important.
Will you support gene therapy research that could give Teddy a voice?
He could be non-verbal or in a wheelchair for his whole life. We just don’t know."
Teddy’s mum, Lucy
Teddy has neurodevelopmental delays, spastic diplegia, and visual defects. He’s challenged physically, mentally, and emotionally. It’s hard to predict what his future will look like.
Teddy may not be able to speak now, but that doesn’t stop him. He’s found a unique way to interact with the world – through music.
“The first year he would cry through therapies, but singing and music calms him down and has even become a way for people to connect to Teddy,’’ Lucy said. “It breaks the ice with someone new. I tell people to sing, and it’s an instant friendship!”
Your tax-deductible gift today will help fund the work of Associate Professor Leszek Lisowski and his team. They’re on the cusp of something that will help many more children like Teddy.
Leszek’s team have created pre-clinical models, using stem cells, so they can understand CTNNB1 and its impact on the brain.
We’re so close, which is why we need your help today. Research on Teddy’s condition has no government funding. This work relies on donations from everyday people like you.
We’re working towards a therapy that will work on every child, so one day there will be a newborn screening test to immediately diagnose and treat the child before a parent even sees any symptoms.
There’s a lot of unknowns about this disease, but what we do know is the sooner a child is helped, while they are growing and developing, the greater the impact on their lives.
Please donate today and give Teddy a voice. Together, we can give the 1 in 20 kids facing a birth defect or genetic disease like Teddy hope for a healthier, brighter future.
