Watching her three boys excitedly race through gates at Disneyland is a moment their mum will never forget.
“The looks on their faces when we arrived at Disneyland was just pure excitement,” mother of four Belinda Shorter said.
“They were so happy. It was a bit emotional for me to see them so happy, they just loved it.”
The Shorter family’s wish for a family holiday at Disneyland was granted by the Ballarat community just weeks ago. The trip of a lifetime came in the wake of the community rallying behind Max,7, William,5, and Hudson,3, who have all been diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
It is an incurable and progressive neuromuscular disease, which will see their parents with all three boys in wheelchairs by the age of 8 to 12 years. Their life expectancy is estimated to be in their 20s or early 30s.
Ms Shorter said the family was floored by the outpouring of generosity from the Ballarat community.
“We feel so grateful and so thankful it’s been so overwhelming,” an emotional Ms Shorter said.
And, the community keeps on giving.
It’s not often opposing teams from Ballarat Football League clubs are kicking goals for a united cause but this weekend rivalry was put aside. On Saturday afternoon, senior players from Lake Wendouree and East Point football club laced up in bright blue to raise awareness for Ballarat’s Shorter brothers and their ongoing fight with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
A fundraiser during the game raised more than $3000. Ballarat Laker’s sponsorship committee’s Vin Armstrong implored the crowd of football revellers to support the boys and their parents.
“It’s an incredibly tough battle for them and we want to help them in any way that we can,” he said.
Ms Shorter and her husband Leigh were interstate at medical conference exploring new equipment and drug trails on the condition at the weekend, but they expressed their deep gratitude to the sporting clubs.
“We can’t thank the community enough for everything they have done,” Ms Shorter said.
“Our focus is now on raising awareness of the condition and organisations like Save Our Sons which is a charity organisation that is helping families looking for a cure for the disease.”
“We’d really like to give back and support other families going through the same thing as us.”
For more information or to donate to the family’s cause visit facebook.com/Shorter-Brothers or saveoursons.org.au
