We are Paul, Steph and Jake Brooks, and we live in Thurston, Suffolk. Jake was diagnosed with Mitochondrial Disease 7 years ago, and I was later found to have it too. Mitochondrial disease is a progressive, life limiting illness that affects multiple systems within the body. There are currently no treatments or cure.

One of the best therapies for Jake is hydrotherapy. Unfortunately, this is very hard to come by in Suffolk, so 3 years ago we bought a hot tub for the garden which Jake loves to use. It is an amazing source of exercise for him, and it gives him a sense of freedom. Not only that, its known to have real physical benefits helping with Jakes muscle and movement issues as well as his tiredness and pain caused by his body not producing enough energy.

Unfortunately, Jake is only able to use the hot tub during the warmer weather, which is very limiting to say the least. To solve this, wed like to install a bespoke building to house the hot tub so that Jake can use it all year round. It will need to include a hoist and a seating / drying area for his safety. Because the garden is largely inaccessible for Jake without being carried, we also want to resurface it so that Jake can play outside more generally which will be a massive additional benefit.

Paul is planning a number of fundraising events to help raise funds, this includes the virtual London Marathon on 3rd October which is a huge challenge for him, but one hes gladly taking on because of how much this project will improve life for the whole family, but especially for Jake. The Charlie Gard Foundation are supporting us with the garden improvements and helping to raise funds for the specialist building for Jake's hot tub.