The mother of a terminally ill child who doctors say will never walk is attempting to hold the north west's largest ever Zumbathon dance event to raise money for groundbreaking medical research, writes Jonathan Kalmus.
Patricia Perlman Dee's one-year-old son David has spinal muscular atrophy, a degenerative muscular disease. David is unable to sit or crawl unaided and there is no cure for his condition. Clinical trials, being funded by the SMA Trust, of the first drugs to combat the illness are underway in the UK.
The 34-year-old mother, a senior banker, qualified as a Zumba fitness instructor while on maternity leave with David, is planning a charity dance session at the city centre HMV Ritz. The hope is for 600 dancers to raise £25,000 for the SMA drug research.
Mrs Perlman Dee, who is from Altrincham, said she and husband Jonathan were heartbroken when David was diagnosed. "We can either let it take over our lives and fall to the ground or we can try to make the best we can of it. There is no cure, but for the first time there are drugs in clinical trial. We will do whatever we can do to support the research," she said.
A charity disco at North Cheshire Jewish Primary, where David attends nursery, is also being organised by his aunt, Karen Galkoff.
The Zumbathon takes place on January 8, while the disco is on December 11. The family have set up a website, www.teamdavid.co.uk.
