'my Son, 4, Has Childhood Dementia - I'm Heartbroken'

The mother of a four-year-old boy has said her "heart is broken" aft he was diagnosed pinch a shape of puerility dementia.

Tammy McDaid, from Swansea, said her boy Tate has Sanfilippo Syndrome and is not expected to past to adulthood.

She has group an £11,000 fundraising target for her "handsome small man" to perchance return portion successful objective tests overseas successful nan dream of slowing nan improvement of nan disease.

Tammy, 33, said her main attraction was connected making precious memories pinch her son, arsenic location is presently nary cure for his condition.

Tate, who has ever been non-verbal, was diagnosed pinch autism astatine nan property of two.

"Deep down I ever suspected location was thing more," said Tammy.

She added that her "little sidekick" made her "a very proud mum".

"From time 1 he really has been nan astir happy and contented small boy," she said.

"He enjoys nan elemental things successful life and he has nan astir contagious smile.

"I americium truthful blessed and proud of him. Even though he can't talk, he hugs and kisses me."

Tammy said Tate loves to tally and climb, and she hoped objective tests "can slow down nan regression of [Tate's] mobility, arsenic that is what is going to deed maine nan hardest".

"He could climb earlier he could walk. I conscionable want him to beryllium capable to do this for arsenic agelong arsenic possible," she said.

"My handsome small man won't unrecorded to spot his 18th birthday. My bosom is surgery and honestly, I americium 1 drained mumma."

After mounting up a GoFundMe page and receiving thousands of pounds wrong days, Tammy said it was "the first clip successful a agelong while I person felt hope".

"This clip past week I couldn't talk astir him without crying," she said, adding she was grateful for nan support of nan Ty Hafan children's hospice and nan section community.

Tammy said she had contacted nan Cure Sanfilippo Foundation to spot if Tate could beryllium accepted connected to immoderate objective tests abroad.

She said she "didn't person clip to waste" arsenic she had been told that children pinch nan information tin commencement to deteriorate from nan property of 5 aliases six - and Tate turns 5 astatine nan extremity of this month.

"I sewage nan test and sewage told fundamentally to travel backmost erstwhile he starts deteriorating because location is thing they [medics] tin do," said Tammy.

"The adjacent twelvemonth is rather captious successful Tate's life arsenic it's astir now that things commencement to show."

If Tate is not accepted connected to a trial, Tammy said she wanted to usage nan money raised "to recreation to arsenic galore countries arsenic imaginable pinch him".

Ahead of World Sanfilippo Awareness Day connected Sunday, she said she besides wanted to raise consciousness of nan condition, arsenic some she and Tate's begetter carried nan Sanfilippo syndrome gene.