It started with one mum asking a question.

I'm Emily. I'm a mum of four young children, I work full-time, and my son Alexander has a port-wine stain and Sturge-Weber syndrome.

Before Alexander, I knew almost nothing about either. Then suddenly our lives involved neurologists, seizures, medication, hospital appointments and questions about what Alexander's future might look like.

His port-wine stain also needed treatment. So I did what any parent would do. I started looking.

I contacted laser clinics trying to find treatment for him. In Ireland, I found there was no readily available private treatment pathway for a young child like Alexander. Some clinics were incredibly kind. But ultimately the answer was:

“We wish we could help.”

I understood. But those words stayed with me.

Then I learned about the research.

Researchers weren't simply asking how we could laser a port-wine stain more effectively. Science had identified the genetic mutation responsible for PWS and SWS — and work was underway to investigate whether gene editing could correct it.

The science existed. What it needed was funding.

Suddenly, “we wish we could help” had a completely different answer.

Now you can.

Many clinics may not be able to treat Alexander, or other children like him, today. But they can help. By coming together, the industry can help fund research towards something much bigger than another laser treatment: a treatment that addresses PWS and SWS at their genetic source.

That's how The Last Laser Initiative began.

This is bigger than Alexander

Alexander is why I started. He isn't the reason this matters.

This matters to the adult who has spent decades having laser treatments. To someone whose birthmark has thickened or darkened with age. To the teenager tired of being stared at. To the person with Sturge-Weber syndrome living with epilepsy or neurological complications. To parents receiving a diagnosis today. And to people who haven't even been born yet.

The ambition isn't simply better treatment for children. It is something much bigger: a future in which PWS and SWS can be treated at their genetic source.

Alexander gave me a reason to fight for that future. The Last Laser Initiative is for everyone who could benefit from it.

Read Alexander's original fundraiser