Superstar school children raise money for patients with rare diseases

Abbie and Ty are no ordinary fundraisers. Together, they are raising money to support the Centre for Rare Diseases at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB) by selling QEHB Charity badges and pens to their fellow pupils and friends.

Abbie and Ty were inspired to raise money for QEHB Charity by the care that their mum, Sally Matty, has received at the Centre for Rare Diseases. Sally has been under the care of QEHB since being diagnosed with a rare condition, chronic gastrointestinal lymphatic bowel dysmotility syndrome.

The fundraising bug has well and truly caught on in the Matty household, with husband David and sons Kane and Zak taking on a skydive on 15 October!

Sally said: "The Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham has become a big part of our lives. I have received lengthy treatment at the hospital since January 2015, in particular at the Centre for Rare Diseases.

"We all wanted to give something back to this vital unit and we're all doing our bit to raise some money. I'm so proud of Ty, Abbie, David, Kane and Zak for all their amazing work."

Fundraising Officer at QEHB Charity, Sophie Carroll said: "It is wonderful to see such young fundraisers putting in a huge amount of effort to support the department that has treated their mum. The money that the whole family has raised will go a long way to support the Centre for Rare Diseases.

"QEHB Charity provides added extras for the Centre, such as the resource area for patients and families; providing Wi-Fi, refreshments, computer games and iPads; and facilitating patient support groups as well as the ongoing running costs of the centre."

If you would like to donate to the Matty family's Justgiving page, please visit justgiving.com/matty-family

To find out more about the Centre for Rare Diseases, please visit qehb.org/centreforrarediseases