The Enrico Charles Literary Award was created by a mother to honor her son Enrico who had Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 1 and died at a young age, in order to share positive stories about living with disabilities and inspire others. The award began in the UK and Italy and aims to promote understanding of disabilities and success stories to improve perceptions and help disabled people through sharing their experiences. It is now working to expand nationally in the UK in 2013 and provide a platform to connect writers and readers.

1. Enrico Charles Literary Award
United Kingdom 2013

2. The Enrico Charles Literary Award has been brought about as a result of my personal experiences as a
mother of an extraordinary child born with the neuro-muscular condition SMA [Spinal Muscular Atrophy]
Type 1 otherwise known as Werdnig Hoffman disease.
Type 1 is more often referred to as a terminal condition.
This rendered him quadriplegic, requiring constant night time ventilator support, with occasional
daytime treatment, requiring constant physiotherapy, physical assistance and enteral-feeding via a
gastrostomy tube. The doctors told me he would not live to experience his first birthday
I have just published an E-book published on KINDLE – AMAZON three internationally known Professors
from the United Kingdom and the United States have written a forward for my book, all specialists of
genetic, rare neuro-muscular, and respiratory conditions. In this book I have written the story of life with
my son with photo’s and information how we lived and managed his condition. In the first week after
publication, a mother contacted me and told me that the book helped her understand how to treat her
daughter. The Doctors did not know anything about the disease.
Facts: Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), the number one genetic killer of children under the age of two, is
an often fatal disease that destroys the nerves controlling voluntary muscle movement, which affects
crawling, walking, head and neck control, and even swallowing. SMA is one of the most prevalent
genetic disorders. One in every 6,000 babies is born with SMA. SMA can strike anyone of any age, race or
gender. One in every 40 people carries the gene that causes SMA. The child of two carriers has a one in
four chance of developing SMA.

3. ENRICO CHARLES

4. ‘I travelled the to Switzerland, the U.S.A, and tow locations in France, with him in search of
doctors and specialists.
His amazing bright and loveable personality captured hearts and minds alike, from London
to New York and Paris.
Regardless of the crises that beset him, he remained so content and cheerful, and this
convinced me that his life and later his death would mean something.
While Enrico was still alive I initiated two clinical trials in the UK and began to put together a
project for a palliative care hospice in Paris, I trained nearly 200 health care professionals in
both the UK and France in a groundbreaking non-invasive respiratory management program
developed by Professor John R Bach from the UMDNJ Medical University, New Jersey (he
was one of the medical professionals who took care of the late Christopher Reeves)
I resolved in 2002 that I would make it my mission to find a way to honour his memory and
somehow put my experiences and knowledge to good use and help others ‘’
After years of failed attempts, in Paris, Dubai, London as well as lots of
personal challenges that many time compromised any chance of success, I
succeeded in setting up this award in 2010 to help others by people being able
to write their incredible stories that would help inspire others around the UK
and eventually being shared internationally… Now this is award is being
launched this year in Italy for 2013.

5. Enrico Charles Literary Award Launch 16° September 2012
Castel Di Guido, Rome, Italy
Laura Ansaldi
Well known European Opera singer
Enrico Charles’ Literary Award
Publicity that was put around
Patroness for Italy
Rome City centre
With the President of the Association

6. There are fifty million disabled people in Europe
and according to World Health Organisation
statistics, and over six hundred million people with
disabilities around the world.
This is now a time when information and perceptions
of disability should be changed, and it is essential for
all human beings to work together, disabled or
.
otherwise.
So far this award although small in its test phase has
already attracted attention from people around the world.
With this award and the international european links it
provides a portal for new writers and others to connect in
the near future, widening possibilities for people to read
stories that they can identify with stories that can inspire
other’s and inform many with positivity, humour, and
provacative quirks that prove to us all the incredible human
capacity for keeping alive.

7. TODAY
The 4° UK Literary Award
Now Going Nationwide
The Enrico Charles Literary Award concept is to improve the missing
human factor in mainstream media press coverage about disability,
promoting positive understanding and awareness to people living with
disability, with success stories as tools of inspiration on their journey to
make success of their own lives, as well as improving knowledge of those
who are unaware of the issues that people with a disabilty face.

8. We are working to take the Enrico Charles Literary Award
National in 2013
• Do you have a story to tell?
• Do you know someone who has inspired your imagination?
• Someone who against all odds has achieved success despite
being disabled?
• Are you interested in the launch of this unique literary prize to
help change many lives and the perceptions of disability ?
If you answered yes, contact us ...
www.enricocharlesliteraryaward.com / www.ec-humanitarian.org
Email: info@ec-humanitarian.org