Welcome to Sawyer Grace’s 2025 fundraising page in support of Foundation for Angelman Syndrome Therapeutics - FAST Canada.

Just after Sawyer’s 1st birthday, she was diagnosed with Angelman Syndrome - a rare neurogenetic disorder that affects approximately 1 in every 15,000 individuals worldwide.

Diagnosis day was one of the most devastating days of our lives. We were told Sawyer would never speak and she would likely never walk. She would suffer debilitating seizures, sleep disturbances, balance issues and motor impairments. She would rely on us for all activities of daily living and she would never be able to live independently.

Out hearts shattered into millions of pieces along with the life we imagined for our baby girl.

What would the future hold?

Despite our brokenness, we resolved to give Sawyer the best life we could manage.

We started to research, we found FAST, and we’ve been fundraising ever since.

(…And by the way, with A LOT of hard work and therapy, Sawyer IS now walking short distances all by herself!!! Take THAT, Angelman syndrome!)

WHY FAST?

We believe in the science and we believe in FAST.

FAST is the leading patient advocacy organization working to cure Angelman syndrome. As the largest non-governmental funder of Angelman syndrome research in the world, their goal is to drive forward transformative research and development programs as quickly as possible for those living with Angelman syndrome — regardless of age or genotype.

Fundraising is a vital way for the community to support FAST's mission m. The high cost of drug development often falls onto patient advocacy groups like ours, making contributions from families, friends, foundations, corporations, and the government essential to our progress. While the need is great, every donation makes a difference!

Thank you for being here on this journey with us. Your support means more than you will ever know.

~The Growden Family