LITTLE Alistair Smith’s rare condition means he’s super friendly and wants to chat to everyone.
The three-year-old suffers from Williams Syndrome - a rare condition which means he is always happy.
But it also means he has global developmental delay, and has the abilities of a two-year-old.
Williams Syndrome is a rare congenital disorder that occurs randomly and affects around one in 18,000 people in the UK. The cause of is a tiny deletion of/ part of a chromosome.
There is no cure for Williams Syndrome because it is not an illness, and there is no way to prevent the genetic abnormality that causes it.
It is non-hereditary and also causes distinctive facial characteristics.
The condition often comes with heart problems, but thankfully Alistair doesn’t have any - though he does have regular heart checks and multiple doctors appointments and therapies.
Despite this, Alistair will start at mainstream school in September.
In honour of his son, and to raise money and awareness for the Williams Syndrome Foundation, Alistair’s dad Andy completed four cycle marathons in two days and his uncle Malcolm completed the London Marathon in four hours and 40 minutes. So far they have raised just under £1,000.
Andy, 37, said: “People with Williams Syndrome are very friendly. Everyone they see in the street, they think are their friends. They don’t understand stranger danger.
“They want to hug them, which is cute while Alistair’s almost four but when he’s 20 it will be a bit more worrying.
“Alistair also has sensory issues - he doesn’t like loud noises unless he’s the one making them. But he loves buttons and thing that spin. He’s constantly spinning things, his favourite thing is the washing machine.
“He has a smile that lights up your day.”
Andy took on the challenge of cycling 105 miles along the Trans Pennine Trail on Thursday and Friday last week while his brother Malcolm completed the marathon on Sunday.
On the first day, he cycled from his home on Mitchell’s Street in Swaithe to Worsbrough Mill and up to Cannon Hall and back, and on the second day he cycled from Swaithe to Selby.
He said: “I can’t run anymore as I did too much damage to my knee playing football when I was younger. Thursday was definitely the wrong day to go out, as I got sunburn on my legs. I ache a bit, but I’m ok.
“I have some more money to add to the total, and I’m hoping it will be more than £1,000 when it’s all collected in. It’s a very small charity that doesn’t get much government funding so it’s amazing to raise this much for them, and thanks to everyone who has donated.”
Visit: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/andy-and-malcolmsmith
