'She's beating the odds': Dad's plea to help Leeds girl with ultra-rare disability learn to walk

A Leeds girl with an ultra-rare genetic condition “is beating the odds” - and now her family are asking for help to achieve a significant milestone.

Four-year-old Maggie Chandler, of Oulton, has Mosaic Trisomy 10, a chromosomal anomaly syndrome which causes significant growth delays and physical malformations.

She is one of just seven people across the world to have ever been diagnosed with the condition, and the survival rate is low. Most children with the condition die in the neonatal stage or early infancy.

However, Maggie is surpassing all expectations, and smiling as she does so.

“She’s beating the odds,” her dad Stephen told the Yorkshire Evening Post.

“She’s such a lovely person, she’s so kind, and she’s always laughing and smiling. She’s the easiest person in the world to make laugh.”

Living with Mosaic Trisomy 10, Maggie hasn’t met the milestones typical for children her age, including talking and eating solid food.

Her family don’t know what is possible for her future, but there is one particular thing they are desperate for Maggie to achieve: walking on her own.

That’s why for the past year Maggie has been attending physiotherapy at Normanton Sports Acro.

Alongside having fun, she’s making huge progress at her weekly sessions.

“She really loves it there,” Stephen said.

“It takes a while and then you notice all of a sudden she can do extra things. She goes from sitting to standing with a hand supported, which is obviously huge.”

Now, Stephen and his close friend Callum Francis want to give back to Normanton Sports Acro by taking on the Lisbon Marathon in October.

The pair want to raise money for the centre to improve their facilities so they can support Maggie and more children with disabilities.

Callum said: “We wanted to raise as much money as we could for Normanton Sports Acro because they don’t get paid a lot and they do a wonderful job for Maggie.

“We don’t know whether she will be able to walk but the time and effort they do on a weekly basis is really helping, and what they do for other kids is amazing as well.”

Stephen added: “They work really, really hard, with long hours and not a massive budget.

“Maggie absolutely loves going so we want to raise a nice amount for them to keep giving the best sessions they can.”

Normanton Sports Acro is one of the few places in West Yorkshire which offers rebound therapy, a specialised physical therapy programme which uses trampolines to develop movement, balance, and muscle tone.

For Maggie, who loves sensory experiences, the centre is well-suited to meet her needs, and it gives her a break from her regular hospital appointments.

Stephen and Callum see the challenge as a way to raise awareness of Mosaic Trisomy 10 and show Maggie’s “happy” personality to the world.

The long-time friends have never taken on a marathon before but they are determined to go out of their comfort zone to support Normanton Sports Acro, the place that has changed Maggie’s life.

Callum said: “We want to do something to try and make a difference.

“The more money that we can get, the better apparatus and the better support we can get and the bigger difference we can make.”

To support Stephen and Callum’s marathon for Maggie, donate to their GoFundMe page.