Ka-wai Liu
Hope for Eliza
Fundraising for Reverse Rett
Story
On 5th June 2015, my good friends Sarah Thomson, Hannah Hughes, Lindsey Niznik and myself held a charity ball called "Hope for Eliza".
There were quite a few people unable to come -- some were busy on that date, some were unable to get tickets before they sold out and some live far too far away... like America, Australia and New Zealand to name the most distant! Many of these people -- near and far -- have asked if they can make a donation instead, so we have set up this fundraising page.
It is all for a wee girl called Eliza Mae McKinney.
Eliza has Rett Syndrome, which means she is in effect "locked-in", unble to say any words, and unable to stand or walk. In fact, she can do practically nothing that an average hopping, jumping, question-asking, all-singing, all-dancing, Frozen-loving 4-year-old can do.
We desperately want her to be able to speak to us -- even being able to say a few words would make a world of difference to her quality of life, as she could tell us when she is hurting, or when she wants even the simplest thing. Being able to stand or walk would obviously also have a massive impact on her life.
At the moment there are no treatments and no cure for Rett Syndrome. The therapies we do are essentially designed to stop Eliza losing skills, as it is possible that she may lose even more of her limited abilities as she grows up.
But there is hope that one day a cure will be found, as scientists are finding out more about the damaged MECP2 gene every day. Every small amount raised for Reverse Rett helps. All the money raised through this page will go directly towards funding some of the best scientists in the world, and without these funds they are unable to continue the research that might one day give our much-loved little girl a brighter future.
There were quite a few people unable to come -- some were busy on that date, some were unable to get tickets before they sold out and some live far too far away... like America, Australia and New Zealand to name the most distant! Many of these people -- near and far -- have asked if they can make a donation instead, so we have set up this fundraising page.
It is all for a wee girl called Eliza Mae McKinney.
Eliza has Rett Syndrome, which means she is in effect "locked-in", unble to say any words, and unable to stand or walk. In fact, she can do practically nothing that an average hopping, jumping, question-asking, all-singing, all-dancing, Frozen-loving 4-year-old can do.
We desperately want her to be able to speak to us -- even being able to say a few words would make a world of difference to her quality of life, as she could tell us when she is hurting, or when she wants even the simplest thing. Being able to stand or walk would obviously also have a massive impact on her life.
At the moment there are no treatments and no cure for Rett Syndrome. The therapies we do are essentially designed to stop Eliza losing skills, as it is possible that she may lose even more of her limited abilities as she grows up.
But there is hope that one day a cure will be found, as scientists are finding out more about the damaged MECP2 gene every day. Every small amount raised for Reverse Rett helps. All the money raised through this page will go directly towards funding some of the best scientists in the world, and without these funds they are unable to continue the research that might one day give our much-loved little girl a brighter future.