A family of a seriously ill child are trying to raise thousands of pounds so he can communicate with his new baby brother.

Louie Bull will be three-years-old in March but due to a rare genetic muscle wasting condition he is unable to talk, walk and cannot move very much on his own.

He is unable to interact with 13 week-old Charlie and  who does not have the rare genetic muscle wasting condition that means his big brother has to be monitored 24 hours-a-day to make sure he is breathing properly.

Wimbledon Times:

Louie using the machine during a trial

Only a handful of youngsters in the UK are known to have the rare and life limiting condition, Spinal Muscular Atrophy with Respiratory Distress (SMARD), and children with the condition do not often live beyond 13 months.

Louie will be on ventilation for the rest of his life.

He also has scoliosis, deformed hands and feet and doctors say he will eventually end up paralysed.

His mum Natalie McDougall, of Hilary Avenue, Mitcham, is hoping to raise £6,600 of the £7,000 cost of a Tobii Eye Gaze Viewer machine which would track the youngster’s eye movement to play games and allow him to communicate.

Louie enjoyed a trial of the equipment on Friday where he played games in his home including splatting custard pies and smashing plates using his eye movement.

Miss McDougall said: "As he gets older it would be nice if he could communicate with his brother.

"If he had this, he would be able to communicate with us.

"It would be life-changing."

Last year the family raised about £2,000 to take Louie to Disneyland in Paris but he was too ill to go, so they have put the money aside and hope to travel there this year instead.

So far generous donations have totalled £2,662 but they still have a long way to go.

To donate to the cause, visit www.gofundme.com/louiesvoice