A village of yogis has embarked on a heartfelt mission to save four-year-old Coolum girl Tallulah Moon Whitrod from a currently incurable disease.
Village Yoga Coolum founder Kat DeCourcy has been running free weekly yoga classes since August to raise awareness and funds for the family’s foundation, and now she’s raising the bar with a bigger fundraiser event for the opening of her new studio space on 9 and 10 March this year.
Our Moon’s Mission is the campaign run by Coolum family, the Whitrods, which aims to save their daughter Tallulah Moon from the ultra-rare degenerative brain disease SPG56, already impacting her ability to walk and talk.
Upon learning of the family’s struggle and desperation to find a cure for SPG56, Kat decided to help the cause by running free public yoga classes every Friday afternoon at Village Yoga Coolum, led by dedicated teachers in training.
The initiative has garnered tremendous support from the Coolum community and has become a beacon of hope for Tallulah Moon and her family.
“I was brought to tears when I found out Kat had started these classes to help Tallulah Moon and Our Moon’s Mission,” mother to Tallulah and founder of Our Moon’s Mission, Golden Whitrod said.
“Kat has chosen not only to help us fund the cure, in so doing she’s connected us to the community at a deeper level. She’s reminded me, in her very humble way, that to achieve anything great, it really takes a village,” Golden said.
As Village Yoga Coolum prepares to open a larger studio on the top floor of the new development at Coolum Park Shopping Centre, Kat is channeling the spirit of generosity even further.
The official opening, scheduled for 9 and 10 March, will be transformed into a fundraising weekend for Our Moon’s Mission, with all proceeds dedicated to helping save Tallulah and other children facing the debilitating challenges of this progressive disease.
The grand opening will welcome the public to join in the celebration of the new studio space while contributing to a noble cause.
The Village’s yoga teachers will donate their time to run $10 classes to fundraise over that weekend and there will be a lucky door prize and a raffle with exciting prizes from collaborators LuluLemon and local businesses.
Funds raised will be channeled directly to Our Moon’s Mission, providing crucial funding for the manufacturing of a gene therapy that could get to a clinical trial for Tallulah and other children as early as 2024.
“We are thrilled to be part of such a meaningful cause that might physically and cognitively save Tallulah Moon, and we are so grateful to feel the support our community. Our mission at Village Yoga Coolum has always been to promote wellness and unity, and now we extend that mission to making a positive impact on the lives of children in need,” Kat said.
Kat encourages the entire Coolum community to visit the Village Yoga Coolum grand opening and contribute to the collective effort to bring hope and healing to Tallulah and others battling this rare disease.
Our Moon’s Mission is the SPG56 campaign run by the Australian Registered Charity, Genetic Cures for Kids.
Its founders and Board are committed to finding a cure for SPG56 through dedicated genetic research led by the Australian Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology at the University of Queensland.
To donate today and directly fund the studies which will bring a gene therapy to clinical trial at Queensland Children’s Hospital, please visit ourmoonsmission.org/donate/
