Rafferty and Sidney Whyman have captured the hearts of the staff at Happy Stars. They are twin brothers who both have a rare genetic condition called Spinal Muscular Atrophy type 1. This causes muscle weakness as the motor neurones cannot respond to signals from the nerves, so they weaken and shrink from inactivity. This has had a massive impact on the boy’s health and mobility. They have been in and out of hospital all their lives, at times leaving the boy’s parents wondering if they would pull through and survive as when they get poorly it can become life threatening very fast. They are unable to walk or move around without support from adults or by using their wheelchairs. SMA type 1 can also impact breathing and has meant that Raffy has developed scoliosis and Sidney has kyphosis of the spine. As a result the boys have to wear a back brace to open up their lungs and to help correct their spines. The ones that they currently wear are becoming too small and therefore new ones are required. However, these back braces cost £2300 each! That’s on top of everything else the boy’s parents have to pay for, including other equipment and multiple therapy sessions etc. Sid and Raff’s wonderful parents, Jenna and Steve, do absolutely everything they can to help their boys. Their lives are inundated with appointments for the twins, including all sorts of therapy and trips to GOSH to ensure that Sid and Raff receive the best care possible so that they can lead as normal a life as possible. And that’s on top of making sure they are also the best parents to their eldest child Marnie, who just happens to be the most supportive, loving big sister ever! So we want to help. Since the boys joined Happy Stars we have been amazed by their resilience and their ability to take part in anything that is asked of them. They have been through so much in their three years of life, which at first meant that they were untrusting and wary due to multiple, traumatising stays in hospital. It is so lovely to witness their confidence grow and the friendships that they are making. We want to do everything we can help them, to take some of the financial pressure off of Jenna and Steve which ultimately will have a positive impact on Marnie too. And this is where we need your help! We are going to hold a fundraising run/walk consisting of a half marathon distance, at least 13 miles. We want to make this as huge as we can, raise as much money as we can and create the most awareness of this condition as we can. Please, please dig deep and donate, anything at all will help. We would also be really grateful if you could share this page so we can reach as many people as possible. Let’s help Sid and Raff get the back braces that they really need and provide some financial relief for the Whyman family! Thank you!