Sunshine Coast Shimmering Moon gala raises funds for gene therapy cure

Wallets have opened to the tune of $85k for a much-loved little Sunshine Coast girl with a rare degenerative disease and her parents who are determined to create a cure.

Golden and Chris Whitrod with Tallulah Moon. Photo supplied by Mile Productions.

More than $80,000 has been raised for a much-loved Sunshine Coast girl with a rare degenerative brain disease in the hopes of a cure for her and other children.

The Shimmering Moon Gala: Charity Dinner and Live Auction at the Sunshine Beach Surf Club raised $85,000 in funds to cure a rare genetic disease with a groundbreaking new treatment.

Tallulah Moon is a five-year-old suffering from hereditary spastic paraplegia type 56 (SPG56), a rare degenerative brain disease caused by a genetic mutation that normally begins in childhood and worsens over time.

Her parents, Golden and Chris Whitrod, have worked tirelessly to fundraise through Our Moon’s Mission in order to bring about a cure for their beloved daughter.

Donors have raised more than $1m so far, plus the $85,000 generated by the gala, however the end goal to actually produce the treatment is $5m.

Shimmering Moon Gala. Picture: Mile Productions.

Tallulah, in her wheelchair, gave beaming smiles to the guests as on Friday.

Her mother Golden thanked everyone who supported the event, saying they were “overwhelmed by the love and support”.

Andy V and the Shimmering Moon Gala Dance Floor. Picture: Mile Productions.

The room was packed with more than 170 attendees dressed to the shimmering nines, enjoying good company and insightful speeches from professionals in the research field.

Delicious food, live comedy, an auction and live music, all provided by sponsors and community members showed the broad base of support gathered by Our Moon’s Mission.

From art, to Roger Federer’s tennis shirt, to luxury getaways in Noosa, the generously donated items were auctioned off to add to the night’s fundraising.

The most prized item was of course a piece of art by Tallulah herself.

Professor Ernst “Wolfy” Wolvetang. Picture: Mile Productions.

Our Moon’s Mission lead researcher Professor Ernst ‘Wolfy” Wolvetang from the Australian Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology is the scientific brains behind this groundbreaking research.

His speech explained how gene therapy can help Tallulah by introducing undamaged genes that can start to halt the progress of the disease and potentially cure it altogether.

After selling the family home and pouring the family inheritance into the fight, Golden and Chris are not giving up the fight.

Originally published as Sunshine Coast Shimmering Moon gala raises funds for gene therapy cure