MM MOREWORDS 050515

Grace Calvert, 4, who is the only person in the UK to have a rare genetic disease. See MASONS story MNGIRL; Grace Calvert was born with a rare genetic condition which means although she is nearly four years old, she is more like a nine-month-old baby. She cannot stand unaided, walk or talk. She is the only child in the UK with this condition where part of one of her chromosomes is missing. It is so rare, there is no name for it and no scientific research. Genetic experts will be studying Grace as she grows, but could not tell her parents Lee and Michelle if she would ever walk or talk. After waiting 18 months for speech therapy with the NHS, the couple discovered the organisation More Than Words, and were the first to benefit from a funded Makaton course – a form of communication based on signs.