In January my nephew Jaiden was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease, a rare condition which attacks the inflammatory system in the body.  

Jaiden came down with fever like symptoms with a rash, swollen glands and cracked lips and after multiple visits to the GP, my brother and sister-in-law was told that it could be a virus which should ease in a few days.  The symptoms did the exact opposite and after another return to the GP Jaiden was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease and admitted into hospital straight away. 

After a course of drugs, nearly 3 weeks in 3 different hospitals the disease was beaten but had managed to get to his heart, and he is now left with large aneurysms and has to take medication everyday and have regualr blood tests to control the condition for the rest of his life.  For a child who will be 5 this May, it's quite a lot to take in. 

In England, in every 100,000 people, there are approximately 8 cases of Kawasaki disease in children under the age of 5, it effects mainly boys of southeast asian backgrounds.  Due to its rarity we don't actually know much about Kawasaki.

All the money raised here will go straight to Royal Brompton, a cardiology specialist hospital where Jaiden stayed for a while and returns for heart scans.  The trust uses the money for research into rare heart conditions like Kawasaki, learning more about how children get the disease and how to treat it.

Let's see how much we can raise between now and jump-day - Friday 11th May! 

So please, dig deep and give a little to the cause.

Find out more about Kawasaki in this fact sheet, explained in a much better way than my blurb above. http://www.chfed.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/62674/Kawasaki_Disease.pdf

Shelley. kissy kissy xx