How fun-loving preppie Harrison Williams has united Helensvale community despite living with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

THIS little boy has been dealt a tough hand. He has to use a wheelchair. His life expectancy is low. But it hasn’t stopped his zest for life – and it’s seen him unite a major Gold Coast community like never before. Read his remarkable story

Harrison Williams suffers from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy - a cruel and debilitating disease.

LET me introduce you to a friend of mine.

Harrison Williams is five years old.

He is a preppie at Helensvale State School.

And his small body is rapidly wasting away.

I remember Harrison playing, carefree, with my youngest daughter, when both were toddlers at kindy.

He wobbled, he giggled, he fell over just the same as all the other tots.

Harrison still loves to play. But it’s no longer so easy.

The other kids are steadier on their feet now. But not Harrison. He’s gone the other direction. He has “wobbly legs”. He spends much of his time in a wheelchair.

Harrison has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a rare, debilitating form of a cruel disease.

His life expectancy is low.

Harrison Williams with mum Linda and dad Chris.

CLICK HERE TO HELP HARRISON

A couple of weeks ago I watched as children played after school, Harrison, among them.

He tried to climb a tree. His Mum, Linda, ran to stop him.

We are all vigilant of our kids, but Linda more so.

“If he fell, the consequences would be more severe than it would be for other kids,” Linda told me.

“He wouldn’t be able to save himself if he fell.”

And the last thing Linda and Harrison’s dad Chris need is another hospital visit.

Harrison has at least one appointment a week, sometimes more.

“His paediatrician calls him ‘medicalised’,” Linda said. “When he goes to an appointment he knows everything he has to do without being asked.

“He just wants it over with so he can go back to playing on his ipad.”

The appointments are tough on Harrison. They’re tougher on Linda and Chris.

Having to use a wheelchair has done little to dim Harrison’s spirit.

“It’s still a world we’re learning to swim in,” says Linda.

“The support groups are fantastic, they let you know what to expect.

“But the last few months, what we have been told, it’s been very confronting.

“It’s happening sooner in Harrison. The effects of Duchenne are more severe than in other five-year-olds.

“He’s only got 12-18 months of any kind of walking left. He’s one of the only five-year-olds needing a wheelchair. We’re looking for a power wheelchair for him, but it’s hard to find one that small.”

It’s tough to see a beautiful young boy like Harrison deteriorate, to be drawn away from the easy joys of childhood by a merciless disease.

All parents see their children grow and change too quick for their liking. Harrison’s parents are bearing witness to a different, far harder change.

There is sorrow on this journey. That is undeniable.

But there is also love, laughter and friends. Lots of friends.

That much has been obvious in recent weeks. Something remarkable has happened in the community of Helensvale. Harrison’s story inspired a group of local mums to try to help his family.

They did the usual things. They set up a fundraiser page at chuffed.org. They organised a Family Fun Day. What they could not know was that their simple fundraiser would morph into a major event, one that has drawn the whole community together as never before.

Linda takes up the story.

A ‘Family Fun Day’ is being held in Helensvale on Saturday to help Harrison.

“It was just a random conversation that started it,” says Linda.

“We were wanting to bring Harrison to Disneyland while he still had some ability to walk but it (the cost) was too much.

“We have to save for the power wheelchair and a van we’re going to need for Harrison.

“It was a chance conversation with Sarah (one of the organisers) and it went from there.”

What initially started as a small event has turned into something big – very big.

The work of the parents involved – Sarah Horsley and Debbie Hardy chief among them – has been a major reason.

“Those mums are amazing,” says Linda. “They are Harrison’s guardian angels. There’s a lot of love.We feel very blessed. I haven’t got words.”

But more than that there is Harrison and the remarkable impact he has had on this Gold Coast suburb.

The Fun Day takes place this Saturday at Helensvale Library Cultural Centre from 10am.

There’ll be Star Wars impersonators, there’ll be magicians, there’ll be performances from Magic Carpet Ride and Chang from The Voice.

There’ll be face painting, there’ll be giant bubbles, there’ll be raffles and so much more. Steven Bradbury adds more star power as MC.

But most of all there’ll be Harrison Williams, the real star of the show, the boy who has brought a community together with his cheeky grin and his undimmable zest for life.

It will be quite the day out for families.

Come along – it won’t cost much more than a couple of gold coins.

And find out why I, like so many others, am so proud to say that Harrison Williams is my friend.

CLICK HERE TO HELP HARRISON