Who is Brad?
Brad is a 9-year-old boy with an infectious smile that can brighten any room. Brad loves to make people laugh and has no problem doing so between his great impressions, funny pranks and knock knock jokes. Brad is a huge Spiderman fan and his favourite things to do are cuddle with his dog Rugsy, play video games- especially Skylanders, watch cartoons and swim in his backyard.
What is Ataxia Telangiectasia?
A-T is a rare, neurodegenerative disease that affects children, giving them the combined symptoms of cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy and cancer.
It’s an immunodeficiency disease that causes the immune system to break down, making the body susceptible to diseases including cancer. It is a rare, recessive genetic disorder of childhood that occurs in between one out of 40,000.
A-T is presently incurable. If they are lucky enough not to develop cancer, most A-T children are dependent on wheelchairs by the age of ten, not because their muscles are too weak, but because they cannot control them. A-T patients usually die from respiratory failure or cancer by their teens or early twenties.
What does Brad need?
Brad is in need of an electric adjustable hospital bed. Brad has developed chronic chest congestion and coughs throughout the night. Sleeping in an inclined position helps decrease the amount of coughing. Brad has difficulty moving independently and safely and will sit or lie in the same position in bed for extended periods of time. To encourage independent movement and decrease Brad’s discomfort from excessive coughing, a hospital bed would be of great benefit. Brad spends most of his time playing video games in bed with his dog Rugsy and friends and family members.
How else can you help?
For more information on the disease and the A-T Children’s Project visit https://www.atcp.org/page.aspx?pid=3373
Thank you for taking the time to read Brad’s story.
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