Nate Wakelin loves being near water, hanging with his family and getting away in their caravan whenever possible. He also has a rare genetic disorder called Angelman Syndrome, which affects brain development and means he will never speak. After a tough 2020, Satan’s Little Helper wanted to do something nice for him and his family...
Nate is an energetic six-year-old and his mum Tiana describes him as “a very smiley, happy kid, who brings a lot of fun and joy to our family!”
Angelman Syndrome, which occurs in 1 out of every 15,000 births, has affected Nate’s brain development and how he moves, learns and communicates.
“He has physical and mental disabilities,” explains Tiana. “What that means for us is that he is quite slow to learn things – it just takes more time.
“He will be non-verbal forever, which means you have to communicate with him differently. He will require lifelong care.”
Nate, like many children with Angelman Syndrome, is particularly interested in water.
“Water is his thing, he loves it!” says Tiana. “He can smell it from miles away! He seeks it out and it always makes him calm.”
He also loves being with people – especially his parents and two siblings – and going away in the family caravan.
Satan’s Little Helper felt like Nate and his family deserved a break after a tough year and so sent some pizza and petrol vouchers to kickstart their summer holidays.
The family, including Nate’s grandparents, put the petrol vouchers towards a caravan trip to a holiday park in Geraldine. “We chose the spot because it’s great for Nate,” says Tiana. “There’s plenty of room to run around and it has a swimming pool onsite too! There are also lots of fun things to keep him and his siblings occupied, and it was a great opportunity for rides in the special trailer we have for him on the back of our bike.” As well as the holiday, to see in the New Year, the Wakelins had friends around for a HELL Pizza night, which Nate really enjoyed. Cheers to that!
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