A Coolum yoga studio has embarked on a heartfelt mission to save 4-year-old Coolum girl Tallulah Moon Whitrod from an ultra-rare degenerative brain disease.
Village Yoga Coolum founder Kat DeCourcy has been running free weekly yoga classes since August 2023 to raise awareness and funds for the family’s foundation, and now she’s raising the bar with a more significant fundraiser event for the opening of her new studio space on 9 and 10 March this year.
Our Moon’s Mission is the campaign run by the Coolum family, the Whitrods, which aims to save their daughter Tallulah Moon from the ultra-rare degenerative brain disease SPG56, already impacting her ability to walk and talk. Upon learning of the family’s struggle and desperation to find a cure for SPG56, Kat decided to help the cause by running free public yoga classes every Friday afternoon at Village Yoga Coolum, led by dedicated teachers in training. The initiative has garnered tremendous support from the Coolum community and has become a beacon of hope for Tallulah Moon and her family.
“I was brought to tears when I found out Kat had started these classes to help Tallulah Moon and Our Moon’s Mission,” Golden Whitrod, mother to Tallulah and founder of Our Moon’s Mission, said.
“Kat has chosen not only to help us fund the cure but also to connect the community at a deeper level. In her very humble way, she’s reminded us that to achieve anything great, it really takes a village,” Golden said.
Tallulah Moon Whitrod suffers from an ultra-rare degenerative brain disease.
Grand opening of new Coolum Yoga Studio will transform into a fundraising weekend
As Village Yoga Coolum prepares to open a larger studio on the top floor of the new development at Coolum Park Shopping Centre, Kat is channelling the spirit of generosity even further. The official opening, scheduled for March 9 and 10, will be transformed into a fundraising weekend for Our Moon’s mission, with all proceeds dedicated to helping save Tallulah and other children facing the debilitating challenges of this progressive disease.
The grand opening of the new Coolum yoga studio will welcome the public to celebrate the new studio space while contributing to a noble cause. The Village’s yogis will donate their time to run $10 classes to fundraise over that weekend, and there will be a lucky door prize and a raffle with exciting prizes from collaborators LuluLemon and local businesses. Funds raised will be channelled directly to Our Moon’s Mission, providing crucial funding for manufacturing a gene therapy that could get to a clinical trial for Tallulah and other children as early as 2024.
“We are thrilled that our Coolum Yoga studio can be part of such a meaningful cause that might physically and cognitively save Tallulah Moon, and we are so grateful to feel the support our community. Our mission at Village Yoga Coolum has always been to promote wellness and unity, and now we extend that mission to positively impacting the lives of children in need,” said Kat.
Kat encourages the entire Coolum community to visit the Village Yoga Coolum grand opening and contribute to the collective effort to bring hope and healing to Tallulah and others battling this rare disease.
Our Moon’s Mission SPG56 campaign is run by the Australian Registered Charity Genetic Cures for Kids. Its founders and Board are committed to finding a cure for SPG56 through dedicated genetic research led by the Australian Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology at the University of Queensland.
To donate today and directly fund the studies that will bring a gene therapy to a clinical trial at Queensland Children’s Hospital, please visit www.ourmoonsmission.org/donate/
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