Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

In November 2015, a family friend's grandchild Alfie Cardwell was diagnosed with CDC at the age of 15 months. Cri Du Chat (CDC) is French for "cry of the cat" referring to the distinctive cry of children with his disorder. The cry is caused by abnormal larynx development, just one of many symptoms associated with this disorder.

Alfie's family discovered the CDC Support group after health professionals recommended they join the group as the best way to gain support and information was through contact with other families directly affected with CDC. Most health professionals will not see a case of CDC it is so rare.

Since joining the support group, Alfie's mum and dad, Ben and Gemma Cardwell and his grandparents, Mel and Jeff Cardwell have found such great support in terms of accessing beneficial therapies for Alfie such as sensory and Makaton signing. Alfie has just taken delivery of his new mustang walking frame, which means he is learning to walk and now has everyone chasing after him! Go Alfie !

Alfie has many life challenges ahead of him.  His syndrome means he is prone to lots of infections, has difficulty feeding (blended foods only), poor motor skills and is not able to speak yet.  He is learning Makaton signing but always manages to let everyone know what he wants as he is a very cheeky and happy little chappie! The CDC Support group helps Alfie's family and other families around the UK to help face new challenges they encounter every day with this rare syndrome.

Please give what you can afford today to help them.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.