As a toddler, Tiago led a normal life; he could run, play with other children and speak like any other child of his age.

At the age of 3, Tiago was diagnosed with Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type7 (SCA7), after being in contact with the chickenpox virus. This virus awakened this condition.
Ataxia is a degenerative disease and it affects all the muscles in the body and in some cases, the eyesight.

Since being diagnosed, Tiago has started to lose his speech, motor and coordination skills rapidly. Now, he cannot walk unaided and this is aggravating each day. His weak immune system is prone to infections and he can easily get very ill with a simple cold. The condition has also brought some swallowing difficulties and weight loss, and he's currently being fed via a NG Tube (through his nose) so that he doesn't lose any further body mass.

We are devastated to see his health deteriorating each day with this progressive disease. There is no cure for this desease however, we have been told that one possible treatment to slow its progression would be to have a stem cell treatment. This treatment would hopefully allow to slow the progression and improve most of his motor and speech skills, giving him a better quality of life. This treatment is not supported by the NHS and is only available outside the UK.

Unfortunately, we don't have the funds to pay for the treatment, travel and accommodation as everything we had has already been spent in other treatments and overseas' hospital appointments.

This page is to raise awareness of the disease and, with your support, to fund the treatment that he desperately needs so that it can stop the disease progressing even further, and before it's too late to act.

Please get in touch if you would like more information regarding the above or if you know of any treatment that could improve his condition.

Thank you.