THEY say laughter is the best medicine, and fundraisers are hoping to prove the saying right with a charity comedy night.
After meeting Alison Ganson, of Nina Drive, Moston, and her son Scott Ward Schofield, Barry Hampson decided to organise a night of comedy and entertainment in aid of DebRA.
A national charity, DebRA works on behalf of people with Epidermolysis Bullosa, an extremely rare skin blistering condition of which Scott suffers.
Barry, from Droylsden, said: "Scott's 18 this month and I told his mum I'd put the night on for him.
"Obviously the money won't go to him, it will go to the charity. DebRA is not supported by the government, it's self supported so every penny counts.
"We're hoping to raise over £1,000 which would pay for two people to go on a respite weekend."
Alison said: "I think it's great. Hopefully the event will raise some money and make people more aware of the illness.
"The condition is genetic and Scott was born without any skin on his left leg. It looked like a piece of steak.
"At first they didn't know what was wrong with him and they took him to specialist doctors in Germany. They said they hadn't seen a condition like this in 25 years and thought he would die within the first few days.
"But a friend of mine contacted Great Ormond Street Hospital and experts there said it wasn't the fatal branch of the illness. The hospital in Germany then released Scott back to their care in London.
"They spent eight to ten weeks helping us plan how to cope with it. It's a terrible condition, it affects internal body linings as well as external tissue. He has to watch what he eats and takes a lot of morphine."
Despite the impact it has had on his life, Alison said Scott was courageous in the face of the illness.
"He's dead brave," she said. "He studies art at Moston College and went to a mainstream school. He's had to start using a wheelchair now.
"The PCT are funding care for him, giving him a taste of independent living and giving me a bit of a break. I've never had help with him before.
"He wants to do his own thing, and when you're with your mum that can be hard because I'm always saying 'don't do this or that', so it'll be good for him."
The comedy night takes place at Bigwigs on Corporation Road, Audenshaw on Saturday 7 June and will feature turns by Phoenix Nights and Max and Paddy actor Steve Royle, as well as Ancoats' "singing postman" and comic songwriter Dom Collins.
Tickets are £10 and the event begins at 7.30pm. Phone 07711 648790 or 370 4523 for tickets.
