This Saturday, 5th August, the local community will be coming together to raise £8,000 for a special vibrating airway clearance vest for a little boy called Arlo, who suffers from cystic fibrosis.
Cystic fibrosis affects the body by making thick and sticky secretions that cause infections and damage to the lungs, as well as other parts of the body. It is a genetic and life-threatening condition that needs daily medication and treatment.
Parents, Kizzi Lines and Ricky Edwards, 21 from Bath, have organised the fun day for their little boy Arlo in order to raise £8,000 to buy him an airway clearance vest that can be used for his physio.
The vest will give him a thorough session, which currently the parents have to do themselves, making sure it gets to every part of his lungs, which is extremely difficult on a wriggly baby.
“Every day Arlo has physio, antibiotics, special feeds, even medicine to be able to eat. This will be forever for him”, said mum Kizzi.
“As he gets older, it will give him independence too as he would be able to do his own physio, and learn how to be involved in his own care.”
“Like many new breakthrough concepts for Cystic Fibrosis, this vest isn’t NHS funded, but to improve his outlook as much as we can, we have decided to fundraise and get Arlo a vest, as soon as we can, rather than wait for the day it might become available to everyone.
“If we can even prevent one scary infection, make it slightly easier to breathe or eliminate one hospital admission with operations, then it will be worth it to us.”