Emily and Anthony Garbutt have set up Abbie Can Family Fund for their daughter, Abbie, who was diagnosed with Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy in September 2018 at the age of seven.
Abbie has trouble using her facial muscles, lifting her arms above her head and has winged scapula, but she has a very positive attitude and won’t let her diagnosis define her.
As much as we were devastated by Abbie’s diagnosis, we just want to do everything we can to help beat this condition for her and all the others affected FSHD. Since finding out about her condition, Abbie has focussed even more on who she aims to be when she is older.
Abbie has always wanted to be a doctor for as long as we can remember and now she wants to be able to fund research into FSHD. She now hopes to become a doctor in the FSHD field so she can tell other children that they don’t need to worry about their diagnosis.
Abbie originally set out to fund 100 hours of research into FSHD through her Family Fund, and she’s already raised over £10,000.
Abbie has fantastic support from friends and family that have taken part in Indoor sky dives, Muscular Dystroht Bake a Difference Campaign, Go Bright and Abbie’s Grandad Jeffrey shaved his lockdown locks off for the Big 60 Campaign. Most recently, I (Abbie’s mum) did Royal Park’s Half Marathon and I’ll be taking part in the Great North Run soon. Abbie doesn’t look to be slowing down her fundraising efforts anytime soon either!
