GAWLER grandmother Jenny Cowley will lead the way for South Australian Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) sufferers at a conference in Sydney this October.

OI or brittle bone disease, is a condition caused by ineffective or lack of collagen in the bones, causing them to be fragile.

There are eight different types of OI, each containing their own issues and it is estimated that seven in 100,000 people are born with OI.

Mrs Cowley, who suffers from OI type one, said her passion is to help people through their experience.

"My family has 15 documented members with the same condition as I do,” she said.

“My grandson Aiden also has the same condition and has been battling with it since he was born.

“I joined the OI Society of Australia two years ago as board member and more recently as a representative for SA.

“Being the SA representative, I want to be a voice for OI by getting better services and making a difference for my family and community.

“This year I will be taking members of the society from SA to the conference in Sydney.

“The OI society will provide us with accommodation, but not travel expenses.

“The conference will give us new updates for medical treatments, led my medical specialists in the field of OI and activities.

“This means we will be able to network with other people who are fighting OI, which is huge.

“It will be so rewarding to be able to provide these kids with an opportunity to learn more about their condition.”

“Soon, I will be trying to push the need for separate medical facilities especially for OI disease in South Australia.

“If I can pull that off, I will be so happy.”

On July 1, Mrs Cowley will be holding a ‘Men in Black International’ movie night at the Gawler Cinemas at 7pm to help raise funds for members to travel to the conference in Sydney from October 4-6.

For more information on how to help Mrs Cowley and the group travel to Sydney, contact her on 0424 408 312, or to donate to the OI cause, visit the OI Australia website.