Welcome to the 84 World Challenge page!

A huge thank you for visiting and reading about our fundraising.

In February 2013, the 84 World guys (Dan Parker, Andrew Selby, Tom Howard and Ralph Day) have set a target to achieve 840kms in 8.4 hours or under. To give you an idea, this is Portsmouth to Dundee driving on the M1!

Over the 8.4 hours each of the four members will need to achieve the following every hour:

> 50kms cycling between 2 team members

> 10kms running

> 40.4 kms in a go-kart on a 900 metre outdoor track

Basically 100kms an hour for 8.4 hours between the four of them!

 

We have decided to support Cure for Dylan (http://www.curefordylan.com) who help raise much needed funds and awareness for Rett Syndrome Research Trust UK.

Here is Dylans story......

Until her first birthday, Dylan was like any other little girl - happy, loving and desperate to explore the world around her. Then things started to change - she lost her speech, her mobility and her interest in life. She was in pain physically and mentally and her family could do nothing to help her. Shortly after her second birthday, Dylan was diagnosed with Rett Syndrome. A tiny mutation to a single gene has condemned her to a life of profound disability and total dependence. She is locked inside her body, unable to communicate. There is no doubt that it is one of the cruellest diseases and, we can't begin to imagine the pain & upset her parents must go through knowing that things will get worse. Dylan faces the prospect of epilepsy, severe spinal curvature, life-threatening breathing problems, feeding difficulties and attacks of acute anxiety. 

BUT THERE IS HOPE. Remarkably, Rett Syndrome has been reversed under laboratory conditions. Scientists predict that it will be the first curable neurological disorder. The problem is that, despite the enormity of this potential, there is no government or lottery funding into research. This is because Rett Syndrome is a rare disease which affects only about 1 in 10,000 girls. But this attitude is flawed for two reasons. Firstly, on a human level, girls like Dylan should not be ignored because they have had the bad luck to have been born with such a devastating condition. It is very rare in boys, however it is highly unlikely that a baby boy would survive past 2 years if diagnosed with Rett Syndrome. Secondly, if a cure for Rett is found, it will go a huge way to finding cures for more common neurological disorders like cerebral palsy, Parkinson's and autism. A cure for Rett Syndrome is the gateway to finding a cure for these conditions. The difference is, with Rett Syndrome, there can be an intense and highly-targetted approach. They know which gene is faulty. They think they know how to restore the gene to health. The only thing holding back a cure is money. Researchers are wholly reliant on private donations from people like you.

You are the difference between a life sentence for girls like Dylan and a life of hope and fulfillment. 

So please dig deep and donate now!

Thank you so much.