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Matthew and his parents John and Tracey Chad came to Butterwick House in 2004 after Matthew was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy.
Tracey explains: "Matthew, our son, was born on 17th June 2004, he had the most beautiful big blue eyes.
Being our first child we may have missed the signs of his illness but at just 6 weeks old we had concerns. He was not lifting his head and his muscle tone wasn't good. We were reassured he was ok but only weeks later we had an emergency appointment with a consultant who diagnosed him with Spinal Muscular Atrophy, those three workds had a devastating effect on our lives."
There is currently no treatment for this illness and sadly, at just 3 months of age, Matthew lost his fight for life.
But during the last weeks of his illness, Matthew and his family spend several happy visits at Butterwick House and Tracey and John have returned many times since Matthew died. With the help of our skilled staff and the support of other bereaved parents they have slowly created a new life for themselves but Matthew will always remain close to their hearts.
Tracey and John are honoured to have Matthew at the heart of our appeal for 2011 and urge you to raise funds in memory of their beautiful little boy to help other children and their families who benefit from the help that Butterwick House provides.
If you would like to make a donation to Matthew's Memory Appeal go to www.justgiving.com/matthew-39-s-memory-appeal where you can make a donation or build your own fundraising page which you can share with your family, friends and colleagues.
We hope to raise £25,000 this year in Matthew's memory to help fund a registered sick children's nurse. If you would like any advice or support with your fundraising ideas please contact the children's fundraising team on 01642 628930 or email jessnaylor@butterwick.org.uk Jess will put you in touch with the person best able to help you.
Thank you!
