Doting grandad raises funds to help young granddaughter who will never be able to smile

A doting grandad has vowed to run a marathon to help the young granddaughter whose smile he will never see. Little Eva, now aged four, was born with a rare neurological disorder called moebius syndrome, which affects the cranial nerves that control facial expression and eye movement. It means she will never be able to smile, frown, raise her eyebrows, grimace, move her eyes laterally or even blink.

Grandad Jonathan Watkins is determined to raise awareness of the syndrome because, he says, people with facial differences are often avoided, stared at, feared, or bullied.

“The number one request from the moebius syndrome community is for a greater public understanding,” he said. “Watching Eva in her early years overcoming so many obstacles has inspired me so much, so I want to give something back by raising awareness.”

Jonathan is running the Milton Keynes marathon on May 6, the day after he plans to complete the MK 5K Rocket.

He has set up a GoFundMe page in a bid to raise £3,000 to help Eva in her learning development and travel costs to and from hospital.

You can donate to his page here.

Moebius syndrome affects between two and 20 people per million. The symptoms may include:

lack of facial expression

inability to smile or frown

feeding, swallowing, or choking issues

absence of lateral eye movement

limited movement of the tongue

dental problems

absence of blinking

strabismus (crossed eyes)

drooling

submucous cleft palate

development and learning difficulties.