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Mum 'overwhelmed' by son's spinal brace fundraiser

Alice CullinaneWest Midlands
News imageKasey Mumford A baby is lying on a black mat with a blanket wrapped around his stomach. A blue dummy is in his mouth and a tube is attached into his nose.Kasey Mumford
Chester "urgently needs" a spinal brace to stop his spine curving into his lungs, his mum said

A mum has been left "overwhelmed" after a fundraiser raised more than £5,000 to help her purchase a spinal brace for her son.

One-year-old Chester, described as the "cheekiest little boy", was born with Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a rare genetic condition that causes muscle weakness.

His mum Kasey, from Warwickshire, said they faced a wait of up to 24 months to get a brace through the NHS and it was "urgently needed" through private care to reduce the worsening of his spinal curve.

"I can't thank everyone enough, I'm grateful for everyone willing to help us," she said. "I don't know what we would have done without people being so generous."

Kasey said her son always "laughs and smiles" and has been practising his skills after recently learning to throw.

"I've never met someone who is so resilient at such a young age. He is just fantastic, I've seen him overcome so much," she said.

News imageKasey Mumford A young boy with ginger hair is wearing a red long sleeved top and is holding a wooden spoon and a bowl filled with chocolate. A tube is coming from his nose with a plaster over the top. Kasey Mumford
Chester is the "cheekiest little boy" who always "laughs and smiles", his mum said

Kasey said she was "gutted" when she first heard it could be up to two years before Chester received a brace through the NHS.

"I did cry for a number of hours and I thought 'we can't do this, we can see [his condition] getting progressively worse and need to do something'," she said.

The spinal brace is quoted to cost about £4,000 and Kasey said any extra money raised would go towards a specialist pushchair with a cross-harness and belts.

"He can just about hold his head for a couple of minutes at a time and this pushchair will keep him where he needs to be," she said.

News imageAlice Cullinane/BBC Two women and a man are standing in front of the entrance of a tattoo shop that has patterned skulls and a reflective print over the windows.Alice Cullinane/BBC
Kasey's mum (left) standing with tattoo artist Matty Gardner (middle) and Kasey (right)

Tattoo artist Matty Gardner held a pop-up event for more than seven hours at his Kenilworth shop Ink on Skinz on Tuesday, raising £1,000 for Chester's equipment.

"I think it's down to people with a little influence in the area to make a difference," he said. "I've known Kasey for a long time and someone has to step in to help."

Gardner has raised money for a range of causes, including funerals for those who died in the Manchester Arena bombings in 2017, and Christmas presents for struggling families.

Kasey said Matty was "incredible" and thanked him for his generosity in helping out the community.

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