A Sunshine Coast family’s bid to raise awareness and funds to help find a cure for a rare brain disease afflicting their four-year-old has received a boost from a local business.
Village Yoga Coolum has linked with the ‘Our Moon’s Mission’ campaign, run by the Whitrod family, in a bid to save their daughter Tallulah Moon and other children from the degenerative brain disease SPG56.
Studio founder Kat DeCourcy has been running free weekly yoga classes since August to raise awareness and funds for the family’s foundation, and she will raise the bar with a fundraising event for the opening of her new studio space on March 9-10.
Ms DeCourcy’s free weekly classes, led by dedicated teachers in training, have garnered tremendous support from the community.
Tallulah’s mum Golden Whitrod said the initiative had become a beacon of hope for the family.
“I was brought to tears when I found out Kat had started these classes to help Tallulah Moon and Our Moon’s Mission,” she said.
“She’s reminded me, in her very humble way, that to achieve anything great, it really takes a village,” Golden said.
Village Yoga Coolum is set to open a larger studio on the top floor of the new development at Coolum Park Shopping Centre. The official opening will be transformed into a fundraising weekend for Our Moon’s Mission, with proceeds dedicated to helping save Tallulah and other children facing the debilitating challenges of the disease.
The village’s yoga teachers will donate their time to run $10 classes to fundraise over the weekend and there will be a lucky door prize and a raffle with prizes from collaborators LuluLemon and local businesses.
Money raised will be channelled directly to Our Moon’s Mission, providing funding for the manufacturing of a gene therapy that could get to a clinical trial for Tallulah and other children as early as this year.
“We are thrilled to be part of such a meaningful cause that might physically and cognitively save Tallulah Moon, and we are so grateful to feel the support our community,” Ms DeCourcy said.
“Our mission at Village Yoga Coolum has always been to promote wellness and unity, and now we extend that mission to making a positive impact on the lives of children in need.”
She encouraged the community to visit the studio’s grand opening and contribute to the collective effort to bring hope and healing to Tallulah and others battling the rare disease.
Our Moon’s Mission is the SPG56 campaign run by the Australian-registered charity Genetic Cures for Kids. Its founders and board are committed to finding a cure for SPG56, through dedicated genetic research led by the Australian Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology at the University of Queensland.
The disease is already affecting Tallulah Moon’s ability to walk and talk.
To donate and fund the studies which could bring a gene therapy to clinical trial at Queensland Children’s Hospital, please visit Our Moon’s Mission.
Like stories that inform, connect and celebrate the Sunshine Coast? So do we. Join an independent local news revolution by subscribing to our FREE daily news feed at the bottom of this article.
