A Weston man will shave his 'much loved and well-groomed' beard and head to raise money to send five-year-old Arthur on his bucket list holiday.
Sean Kelly has set a target of £10,000 to send Arthur, two of his siblings, and his parents to Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park in Florida.
Arthur was born with congenital bilateral perisylvian polymicrogyria, a rare neurological disorder causing cerebral palsy, and a bilateral vocal cord palsy. Sean first learned the severity of his condition while on Zoom with his parents.
Sean said: "Me, my wife, and Arthur's parents, Melanie and Marcelo, were taking part in a Zoom wine tasting session.
"Mel told us she was allowed to have a drink because Marcelo was on duty that night - which is when I asked why?"
Arthur's condition means he requires around-the-clock supervision as he can choke on his saliva at any given time and can have multiple seizures throughout the day and night.
Sean said: "It stuck in my mind and I asked what his dream holiday would be and Mel said 'Animal Kingdom in Florida, it is his favourite show'.
"They do not know how long they have left with Arthur and I just want them to make the best, lasting memories."
The gesture has been immensely appreciated by Arthur's parents who both work, while his mum, Mel balances this while studying for a doctorate.
She said: "It is an incredibly kind thing to do and we are blown away by the generosity of our friends.
"It will be an absolute dream come true for Arthur - I cannot wait to see his face when he arrives at the Animal Kingdom."
Currently, Sean has managed to raise more than half of the £10,000 target before the big shave on May 8.
Mel, from Weston, said: "It has been so heart-warming to be having this wonderful fundraising as Arthur’s been particularly unwell in the past few weeks and it has really lifted all of our spirits to feel that so many people in the community care about him.
"We are so proud of our beautiful little boy - he is joy personified. It will be amazing to take him on this wonderful adventure. We are so grateful to everyone involved and everyone who has donated."
Sean's big day will take place at the Old Kings Head pub in Worle where a charity raffle will also take place.
To donate towards Arthur's fundraiser, log on to www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/seankellybaldforarthur
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