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After my last bike ride for charity in 2013, I've let things slip a little and although I had planned to get back on my bike last year, I always managed to find an excuse to put it off. It's now time to get back on the bike for an incredibly worthy cause and I hope you can donate, no matter how much, to raise money for a very important charity.

We've all heard of the 'London > Brighton' cycle challenge but this time we're planning 'London > Brighton > London' in one day. 130 miles of rolling hills and country lanes in the name of an incredibly worthy cause. With 20 cyclists signed up so far and much needed support from Sigma Sport, we will be cycling for the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign.

My little cousin Shiv was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) last year. DMD is a condition affecting 1 in 3,500 boys and there are approximately 100 boys born in the UK each year with Duchenne. It is a life-ending illness which attacks the body’s muscles and unfortunately there is currently no cure. This condition means the body cannot produce enough dystrophin, a protein needed for the muscles to grow and repair. Because of this, by Shiv’s early teens, he will lose the ability walk and by his late teens he will start suffering from respiratory complications and organ failure. As you can imagine, coming to terms with Shiv’s condition has been pretty difficult for everyone but there is still hope researchers will find a treatment and potential cure in time.

Shiv, like most 4 year old boys, loves cars, Thomas the Tank Engine and pizza. He is great fun to be around and we were all devastated by the news that he had been diagnosed with this horrific illness. The goal is to raise as much money as possible for Muscular Dystrophy and the Smile with Shiv Project set-up in the name of Shiv.

The Muscular Dystrophy Campaign is doing  groundbreaking work to fund research projects seeking a cure for Duchenne and funding trials in the drive towards potential treatments. They require funding to progress the research and trials and make a cure available to boys with Duchenne. We need to find a cure now for this life threatening condition and to prevent any more families facing a future without their son.

Please donate wherever you can as this will help the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign continue their groundbreaking work. You can find more information at www.smilewithshiv.org and thank you for taking the time to read my story and for your donation.

Donating  through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.