THE family of a Kidderminster toddler, who is one of just nine people in the UK to suffer from a rare chromosome disorder, are climbing Snowdon to raise money and awareness of the condition.

Megan Ford, aged 14 months, has Trisomy 9 Mosaic (T9M), a disorder caused by having three copies of chromosome number nine in her body.

Megan, who has a twin brother Oliver, was diagnosed with the disorder when she was eight weeks old, after she was unwell, struggled to feed and her family thought she could not see or hear. As of yet, there is no cure for the condition.

Her mother, Joanne, and her sister Nicky, aged 12, will climb Snowdon this Sunday (March 8) along with others to raise money and awareness about T9M.

Mrs Ford said: “She has suffered breathing problems since a severe bout of bronchitis in August, which left her in and out of hospital every other week, until almost Christmas time, and more recently an obstructive sleep apnoea which led to this almost four-week stay at the hospital we are currently having.

“She’s now doing much better and we hope to be home by the weekend.

“She has a global development delay which means she is slow to reach milestones but has just said her first word ‘mama-mama-mama’, which is amazing since we didn’t think she would be able to talk.

“Despite all this, she is a happy baby that enjoys music and watching her twin brother, Oliver, and friends play, and has recently started to join in now her coordination is improving.

“She’s been through lots in her short life, but is a strong determined little girl who will not listen to anyone who says she can’t do something."

Joanne and Nicky will be joining other people who are friends or family of someone with T9M on Sunday to climb Snowdon. They will be wearing purple, the designated colour of T9M awareness and expect to complete the walk in three hours.

She added: “We doing the climb to raise awareness of T9M and other chromosome conditions. Although Megan’s is a rare, chromosomal disorders are more common than people think when you take into account deletions, duplications and translocations; it’s surprising how many people know someone.

“In Megan’s case, doctors took eight weeks to work out what was wrong by which time she was very poorly despite her having some recognisable chromosome markers; features common in chromosomal disorders.

“Raising awareness of the conditions and these markers may mean someone gets a diagnosis earlier and therefore a better start in life. Money is important to help fund projects to raise awareness and also to fund emotional and practical help to children and families affected.”

Joanne set up a Facebook page ‘Megan; Trisomy 9 Mosaic Star’, which now has almost 2,000 followers across the globe, who help to share Megan’s story, raising awareness and giving the family support.

If you wish to donate, the family have set up a JustGiving page www.justgiving.co.uk/joandnickyford.

You can also text MEGY79 with the amount to 70070.