Walls Plus to Move 4 Those That Can’t

This piece was written by FTMA’s Kat Welsh.

On the 2nd December – this weekend (!) – Walls Plus Ballarat owners, Ian and Sue Booth are really going the distance. Imagine this – 60 studio bikes, 12 hours, spinning those peddles, no breaks. The Walls Plus team have a goal to raise $2000, and have put $1000 in the kitty themselves. Why?

With an event motto on everyone’s minds – move 4 those that can’t – the Walls Plus team are doing Ride4Bella.

When you find out you’re going to become a parent – with every fibre in your body – you start a journey of love, nurture, and the pledge to do whatever it takes to protect your kids. When you begin that part of your life it changes you, forever. Your instincts are consumed with this marvel becoming a part of your world.

Imagine hearing that your baby may not make it though, and being unable to do anything to change what’s happening. Having to spend whatever precious hours or days you can with your baby, realising that there is nothing you can do except be with them – hoping that somehow something will change. It is earth-shattering.   

For Emma Tuddenham and her partner Adam, this became a reality when their baby Bella was born. At birth, Bella appeared healthy but quickly deteriorated and was struggling. At just over 2 weeks old, she was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy – a genetic disease that debilitates the muscles in the body to a point where people sometimes can’t breath, eat, or speak. Sadly, Bella only lived for 20 days. In May 2021 she passed away from SMA.

SMA is the biggest genetic killer of babies. There are different categories to the condition and for the children that do make it home from hospital – or whose symptoms aren’t picked up until later on – they will live with ongoing health complications by the time they are finally diagnosed.  

Bella’s mum Emma, to channel her grief into something positive, runs a charity event every year, Ride 4 Bella, to raise funds to support families and children living with SMA. The event is facilitated through the gym she co-owns, Hot Temple in Ballarat. Money raised goes directly to those that need it, and to the research team at UNSW, headed by Professor Michelle Farrar. Michelle has been instrumental with the work her and her team have been doing for a number of years.

Due to their research and campaigning, they have managed to get SMA screening as part of the heel prick test (a test conducted on new born babies), in NSW and ACT. But it is crucial for Australian Government to act on recommendations to make this a national screening. In an interview with the ABC Radio, Emma made this important point; “Once she passed we found out there were simple heel-prick tests being offered in New South Wales and the ACT and not in any other states,” she said. “We want it to be in the rest of Australia, a postcode shouldn’t determine what happens to your baby.”

Michelle and now Emma, are continuing to push the crusade for all states in Australia to include this screening measure. Early detection can save lives. Or, depending on the category, getting an early diagnosis is critical in providing exact care for babies with SMA, and can prevent further muscle damage with the right treatments.

Ian and Sue, have been members of the gym for a while. “We’ve been at the Hot Temple for nearly 4 years now. We started there to help us with our fitness, and help us keep up with the grandkids,” Ian said, “we’ve got relationships with the family, we want to help as much as we can, as little as it may be, every bit is going to help.”

“We knew Emma all the way through her pregnancy… It’s a really supportive gym,” Sue said, “it’s a little community and everyone is just fantastic.”

The gym is a source of inspiration for Emma and her family as they dealt with the loss of their daughter. The cause they have created, means Bella is part of their lives in as an affirmative way as possible. In turn, the event has become something spectacular for the Ballarat community.

“There’s a lot of people doing it in teams, a lot of people are doing it as an individual. Emma will be doing the 12 hours on a bike on her own. We’re in a team, there’s 5 or 6 of us,” Sue said. The Booths have been training 2 or 3 times a week, leading into the event, to help them prepare. The training also involves assistance in planning for endurance, to make sure nobody burns themselves out too quickly. The organisers go to the extent of running games and other competitions during the event to keep everyone motivated, involved, and importantly, having fun. Sue described it as like a carnival, with dress-ups and dance competitions, and the local radio station will be involved. “It’s gotten so big this year, that they’ve moved it from the Hot Temple itself to a big shed,” Ian said.

Obviously, Ian, Sue and the team are hoping to raise as much as possible for this essential cause, the more the better. For the Walls Plus team, it means a lot to pitch in money and support this amazing event through doing exactly what the motto says. Move for those that can’t. It’s locals supporting locals, but it’s also a world-wide issue. The more publicity the cause can create, the more people nationally will realise it’s something any family could face.

For Ian and Sue, being in business with Walls Plus for 19 years now, it’s a positive thing to be supporting their local community and a noble cause like this one. The more people and businesses that get on board, the bigger it can become. Being involved in Ride4Bella is personal, they have a connection with Emma and her family and her business – Hot Temple has been a source of inspiration, health, and nourishment for the Ballarat community since 2007.

It also represents that exchange though, for business owners to support community events, and the importance of fostering a sense of togetherness, promoting well-being and care, and contributing to the greater meaning. The role of businesses in society extends beyond the office wall. A businesses commitment to societal well-being is not only morally upright, but strategically sound.  Putting the business name out there to do good and be a source of collaboration, paves the way for a thriving and supportive environment.

Ian and Sue are parents, grandparents, and are devoted to their family. They fully understand how bitter sweet the cause must be for Bella’s loved ones. No parent ever wants to lose their baby – somehow Emma has taken the most profound loss and made as much positivity out of it as anyone possibly could. And Ian and Sue, are there to back it up. “We’re part of the community, so get involved,” Sue said.

Please can the FTMA family get behind this tremendous cause. Click here to donate to the Walls Plus team. Every little bit counts towards supporting families living with SMA, providing funding for research, and getting the screening included nationwide as part of a simple test – all babies in Australia deserve equal health care no matter what state they live in.