Angelman Syndrome: The rare condition stopping kids from walking and talking

Nash Molloy is the youngest son of Heath and his partner Melanie. He has two older brothers Zach, 9, and Jett, 5.

The Molloys live in Sydney’s southern suburbs and on face value are your typical young family.

But Nash is a very special little boy and behind the big smile that is always on his face is a serious medical condition. He has Angelman Syndrome.

His parents noticed his motor skills weren’t developing in the same way as his older brothers.

“Our older boys were very active and crawling by the age of six months, whereas Nash was really struggling,” Mr Molloy said.

The family began seeing specialists and Nash was put through an extensive series of blood, genetic and brain tests to find out what was happening.

“It went over three months, then that was the hardest day when we got the diagnosis.”

Angelman Syndrome is a condition that affects one in 25,000 children. More than 80 per cent of them will never walk or talk and sufferers experience rigid jerky movement and can have regular seizures.

Another characteristic is a constantly happy demeanour which is why it was originally called Happy Puppet Syndrome until 1982.

“Nash is the happiest kid you will ever meet. He lights up a room when he enters,” Mr Molloy told 9news.com.au.

Nash even has fans in the NRL. Rabbitohs players Damien Cook and Sam Burgess have both posted their support for Nash and their hope of finding a cure for Angelman Syndrome.

While there are certain things many take for granted, like the ability to walk and talk normally, the Molloys want more than anything to see Nash do this unaided.

“It’s all very new still, but we are a strong family and are navigating our way through it,” Mr Molloy said.

Nash’s parents have been taking him to a physiotherapist and he also has regular speech therapy.

“Since he began treatment, he can now sit up and crawl around,” Mr Molloy said.

He has even been known to climb the odd piece of furniture when mum and dad’s backs are turned.

Nash's Aunt Nicole produced a video raising awareness about her nephews situation. It is an entrant in the 2018 'Focus on Ability' Short Film Festival.

"We are proud of him, he has come so far. He is determined and having two older brothers keeps him on his toes," Mr Molloy said.