Hydro Pool For Vinnie

Vinnie turned 4 on March 24th!!! Vinnie has Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 1. SMA is a genetic muscle wasting condition that robs you of the ability to move, the ability to eat orally and then the ability to breathe yourself. Vinnie has the most severe form of SMA and we were told that he would not make it to his 1st birthday. When vinnie was 7 months old we were fortunate to enrol him on a clinical trial at Great Ormond Street for a drug called Spinraza. This drug is injected via a lumbar puncture every 4 months and helps Vinnie’s body produce protein to keep his muscles strong. Although Vinnie is a weaker Type 1, over time he has made massive improvement such as, riding his own power chair, going to school, gaining valuable strength in his arms, legs and more importantly his hands allowing him to operate an iPad. As a family we work tirelessly to ensure Vinnie receives all the latest equipment to keep him strong and we work daily by ourselves and alongside private physiotherapists to help Vinnie build up god strength. Back in 2016 we bought Vinnie a Hot Tub so that during the warmer months we could swim with him daily as swimming is the best form of exercise. Now Vinnie is 4 and a meter long he can no longer move freely in his hot tub so we are looking to upgrade to a swim spa. This will give Vinnie the space he needs to swim by himself and also provide him with a nice temperature to help his muscles. The more basic models are around £15,000! So here begins our campaign to get Vinnie swimming!!! Money donated to Vinnie is spent on: private physio (this costs around £360 per month, specialist dietary needs that are not supplied via the NHS and anything Vinnie needs to provide him with a happy and healthy life).

We will purchase a large lazy spa until we have raised the £15,000. As this can take a considerable amount of time we want to buy another bigger spa pool for vinnie to use and benefit from until we have enough money for the swim spa!