THE TEENAGE TWINS WHO ARE PLANNING A CAREER IN COMEDY DESPITE DISABILITIES
WHICH MEANS THEY’RE AIMING FOR A CAREER IN COMEDY
BORN with a lifelong condition which severely restricts their mobility, Derby teenage twins Sam and Alex Bolton will never be found moping about their misfortune.
Indeed, the spirited duo, from Littleover, live life to the full with smiles on their faces – and want to make others laugh too as they plan a career in comedy.
And that’s exactly what their mum, Sarah Wilson, has always wanted for her brave sons ever since being repeatedly told after their premature birth that they would suffer various developmental issues as a result.
Sam and Alex, 16, were both diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) when they were just 18 months old.
The condition weakens the boys’ cells and muscles, making it impossible for them to walk unassisted.
But Sarah, 54, sees her sons’ condition as just another thing they have to deal with.
She said: “They’re just like normal teenagers that need some extra help.
“SMA basically means that they can’t walk, their muscles are weak and they rely on a powered wheelchair to get about.
“They need lots of support for getting about and getting dressed, and it just takes a lot of extra thought for us to go anywhere.
“If we go to someone’s house we have to think about whether it’s wheelchair accessible and if the width of the door is wide enough.
“It’s things like that that make it a little bit harder.”
But that doesn’t impact Sam and Alex’s spirit, says Sarah.
The boys, who have previously appeared on BBC’s Children in Need, remain determined to have an otherwise “normal” life and do not let their condition dampen their spirit.
Sarah added: “They’re both very sociable and want to live as normal a life as they possibly can.
“They try to do as much as they possibly can, but physically it is very hard on them because their muscles are so weak.
“I think it is quite frustrating for them at times because they want to be able to do things themselves, but now they just accept it and they know their limits. They focus on the things that they can do rather than the things that they can’t.”
After recently leaving school and obtaining their GCSEs, Sam and Alex are hoping to go to college to study media and hope to launch a career in comedy.
Sarah said: “They’re always coming up with their own comedy sketches and uploading them to social media.
“It’s fairly basic, but it raises awareness of people in wheelchairs and how it can’t really stop them.
“They have a very sarcastic sense of humour and take the mickey out of themselves. They always try to use that to their benefit and don’t let it stop them.”
Now, Sarah is hoping to give back to the charity that helped her sons the most.
The boys attend sessions at Rainbows Hospice in Loughborough every week, and have done for the past 13 years, giving Sarah valuable respite.
She is aiming to raise money by abseiling down the side of Derby Cathedral with her sister, Natalie Walford, from Chesterfield, in October.
She said: “I describe Rainbows as the place where I hand over Sam and Alex and know that they are being looked after, safe and having loads of fun. Now that Sam and Alex are young adults, they need more care and support, but still need to be independent so now, more than they were young, Rainbows is a vital part of our lives as a family.”
Claire Hoggan, Rainbows events fundraiser, said: “Sarah knows first-hand how important the services are that we offer and we know how much Sam and Alex love coming to Rainbows. “We rely on our supporters to enable us to continue providing care for families like Sarah’s and we hope their story inspires others to get behind us, or maybe even sign up to the Derby Cathedral Abseil.”
They focus on the things that they can do rather than the things that they can’t.
Mum Sarah Wilson