(The Laidlaw family enjoying the Halloween party/fundraiser on October 26, 2024 organized by their neighbourhood’s Fairwinds Community Association in Stittsville to support young Jack who has been diagnosed with SPG4. Photos: Stittsville Central)
In December, 2023, seven-year old Jack Laidlaw was diagnosed with a rare genetic disease that is progressive called Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia type 4 or SPG4. This diagnosis means that he is slowly becoming paralyzed. There is currently no known cure, nor any treatment to stop the progression. But, there is hope.
A cure for SPG4 is currently being researched and could be developed within a few years if it can be funded. However, rare disease research rarely progresses to human clinical trials due to the small population affected and the amount of funding required.
We are fundraising to help fund this research to human clinical trials. It is going to take everyone we have ever known to get there. All donations are truly appreciated, and every little bit helps. If you can help us save our son from the debilitating effects of this disease, we would be forever grateful.
On October 26th, friends and neighbours from the Fairwinds community and from afar came together to participate in a fundraiser for young Jack. Organized by Jen and Maki Demers, the Laidlaw family “can’t thank Jen and Maki enough for putting it all together”!
There were snacks, crafts, games, balloon twists, tattoos, pumpkins to decorate and costume contests. Each child who attended received an allergy friendly treat bag. There was pizza, drinks and cotton candy to enjoy and a raffle table with lots of fun items. It was definitely windy and perhaps some would say chilly, but it was great to see the good turn-out to support Jack and his family.
What an opportunity to learn about Taekwondo and have the opportunity to take part in a lesson. The Laidlaw family is hosting an important fundraiser for their son Jack on November 3rd at 4:00pm at the Stittsville Legion. The Tae E Lee team will be on hand to give a Taekwondo demonstration and lesson. Everyone is welcome! For more on the Tae E Lee Team view this video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/g88Wfz9ZXoQ?si=DTKp0KdgMUloiIyi. To RSVP, please email SPG4CureFundraiser@outlook.com.
The amazing auction of all auctions ends on November 9th! Anna Laidlaw shared the details with Stittsville Central to ensure that our community would have an opportunity to bid on the auction item. Two young girls had their hearts set on attending their idol’s concert in Toronto. The girls had tickets to attend the Taylor Swift concert and have generously donated their tickets to support Jack and the Laidlaw family in their fundraising endeavours to find a cure for SPG4.
When Ehvah (13) and Adalee (10), of Ottawa, heard Jack’s story, they decided to donate their tickets to Taylor Swift’s, The Eras Tour concert, taking place on November 14, 2024 in Toronto. The girls wanted to help the Laidlaw family raise money for a gene therapy that could cure Jack. Extraordinary young ladies!
And that’s not all – an anonymous donor will match the winning bid up to $50,000!
Auction details:
- The auction is on the 32 auctions website (https://www.32auctions.com) and you must create an account to bid.
- Go to our auction site, click “view all items”, click on this auction item and make your bid: https://www.32auctions.com/SPG4CureFundraiser
- The highest bidder will win 2 Taylor Swift Tickets! Note: minors must be accompanied by an adult to the concert.
- Bidding ends November 9th at 7:00 pm EST!
Ticket information:
- Taylor Swift The Eras Tour
- November 14th, 2024 at 7:00pm
- Rogers Centre, Toronto, Ontario
- Section A 10, Row 5, Seats 11, 12
To find out more about the Laidlaw family’s story and the SPG4 Cure Fundraiser, please visit the Canadian Charity the Blu Genes Foundation – SPG4 Cure: https://blugenes.org/spg4-cure/.