GALLERY: Jeans for Genes Day takes on special meaning at nursery
Tuesday, 7am - JEANS for Genes fund-raising at one Grantham nursery was especially important this year after three-year-old Jacob Beere was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis.
Tuesday, 7am - JEANS for Genes fund-raising at one Grantham nursery was especially important this year after three-year-old Jacob Beere was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis.Staff and children at Hill Top Day Nursery in Barrowby Gate decided to do something extra to support Jacob and his family, who use the nursery.
%%Could not get body element policy for VersionedContentId(1.23058.UNDEFINED)They held a fitness session on Friday, which children paid to join in, as well as inviting them to wear Jeans for Genes.
%%Could not get body element policy for VersionedContentId(1.23057.UNDEFINED)Jacob was diagnosed with the life-threatening genetic disease in March.
Since then, he has had to undergo daily physiotherapy and must take multiple doses of medicine and vitamins every day for the rest of his life.
Mum Katie says staff at the nursery have also had to adapt to Jacob's new routine, but have dealt with the changes superbly.
She said: "It has been quite a hrad time for us but the nursery has been great. As well as giving him his medicine, they have to keep an eye on him to look for any changes if he is coughing as mucus can build up on his lungs very quickly.
"I was absolutely blown away when they said they wanted to do something extra for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust as it is one of the main charities involved in Jeans for Genes Day."
Many of the staff wore "65 Roses" T-shirts which is the name used by many children to describe their disease.
It was first coined in America in 1965 by the four-year-old son of CF Foundation volunteer Mary Weiss after he misheard her talking on the phone about the disease.
Since Jacob's diagnosis, the Beere family have worked hard to raise awareness of Cystic Fibrosis and its effects.
On Saturday, his father Jon took part in the Marin Dusk Til Dawn 12-hour endurance mountain bike race in Thetford Forest, raising several thousand pounds for Cystic Fibrosis charities.
Cystic Fibrosis - The Facts
Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is the UK's most common life-threatening inherited disease. It is caused by a single defective gene. As a result, the internal organs, especially the lungs and digestive system, become clogged with thick sticky mucus resulting in chronic infections and inflammation in the lungs and difficulty digesting food.
Over 8,000 people in the UK have CF
Each week five babies are born with CF and three young people die – 90% from lung damage
Average life expectancy is just 31, although improvements in treatments mean a baby born today is expected to live longer
1 person in 25 carries the faulty CF gene – over two million people in the UK. If two carriers have a baby, the child has a 1 in 4 chance of having CF
More information at www.cftrust.org.uk
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Friday 03 September 2010
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