You might have

You might have seen the really positive news this morning for parents and parents to be in England. Babies will soon be routinely screened for a rare genetic condition called spinal muscular atrophy or SMA as part of the newborn heel prick test. Now if you'll probably remember that's offered around day 5 of life. The great news isn't an extra test. SMA will simply be added to the blood that's already taken. SMA is a rare genetic condition that can cause progressive muscle weakness in its most severe forms it can stop babies from crawling, walking and even affect their breathing and swallowing. You can't always tell if a baby has SMA at birth. For parents this means that if a baby is there's a much better chance it will be picked up early with the heel prick test allowing specialist treatment to start as soon as possible. This screening program will be as part of an evaluation to gather data before a permanent national screening program is introduced. I'd also like to give a special mention to Jesy Nelson who after her twin girls were diagnosed with SMA has campaigned tirelessly for this. What an amazing woman and mum. It's an incredible example of how resilience, raising awareness and continuing to push for change can make a real difference and for the small number of babies affected, this simple heel prick test could truly be life changing.