Story
<p>Hello,</p>
<p><br><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">As you have found your way here, I am guessing you have either followed a link I have sent you, been bribed enough by me to visit it, or are sick of me begging for you to see what all the fuss is about!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">So, let me give you a run-down for the un-initiated:</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">My name is Jason Baskaran, I am 27and have three brothers: Jamie, <em>20</em>, Oliver, <em>18</em> and Konnor <em>17</em>.</span> <span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">In the Summer of 1995, Jamie and Oliver <em>5</em> and <em>3</em> respectively, were diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. The news was a terrible pill to swallow; but little did we know what the condition entailed, and what the prognosis would be the young boys.</span></p>
<p>Muscular Dystrophy is a genetic muscle wasting condition. The symptoms are characterised by the sufferer's muscles weakening at a progressive and accelerated rate due to the body's inability to produce <em>dystrophin</em>. This unfortunately means that the poor soul affected by the illness will be wheelchair bound by the age of <em>10</em>, with a grim prognosis for the following years... Simple tasks such as writing, holding a PlayStation controller or giving your sibling a good old fashioned <em>wallop!</em> are difficult at best.</p>
<p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Over the past 14 years, my family and I have done all we can to learn more about the condition and understand what sufferers go through physically and psychologically, as the condition is little known - with no cure or treatments available today.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Having close family members suffering from the condition, we felt it only fitting to try to generate much needed cash for research into possible remedies - from fundraisers including a row-a-thon (20km, ouch!) and a London Marathon (thank you Uncle Bob!).</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">We also did all we could to promote awareness of the condition - this included media appearances, Jamie & Oliver the stars, of course, in promotional videos, Internet stories and local press - anything to spread the message!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">So, the time has come whereby I feel like inflicting a little self punishment for the third year in a row; ageing my body at an accelerated rate and generally putting myself through half a year of training and torture to do the London Marathon in 2012 for The Muscular Dystrophy Campaign - <em>to give what I have to good use, for a good cause, for good boys</em>.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">My target is £1,500, hitting that would be a massive achievement and I promise to run my hardest, fastest and bestest on the day.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Hopefully our pennies and pounds will mount up and one day we can find a cure or a treatment for this terrible condition. So, please dig deep, donate all that you can - I shall be bringing cakes and goodies soon.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Thanks,<br>Jason</span></p>
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<p>So please dig deep and donate now.</p>