We want to say a big thank you to everyone who has supported us and made a donation to this great charity. Our finishing times were as follows:
Michael Ness - 1.33
Nick Beckett - 1.37
Julian Andrews - 1.43
Siri - 1.51
Rich Hanks - 2.01
Jamie Yates - 2.08
Gary Smith - 2.17
Lucy Hanks - 2.24
Our lives were changed forever last December when our little boy Thomas was diagnosed with Bloom's Syndrome, a very rare life limiting genetic disorder. Approximately 300 cases have been identified worldwide since its discovery in the 1950’s. This was devastating news for the whole family and unfortunately being so rare there was limited support or information on the condition however through our own research we made contact with other families in Europe and the US. Thankfully Thomas is unaware of his condition and is just a happy and mischievous little 2 year old enjoying life to the full.
Bloom's Syndrome is caused by an inherited gene that does not function correctly causing an unusually high number of breaks or instability within the chromosomes. This instability causes short stature, immune system deficiencies leading to frequent respiratory and bronchial infections, patchy facial skin colourations, sensitivity to sunlight, sterility, and worst of all, an extraordinarily high risk to develop many cancers and leukaemia at very early ages.
It has taken us a long time to come to terms with Thomas's diagnosis and we know that we have big challenges to face in the future but for now we want to focus on doing something positive and raise money for charities connected to some of the medical problems that Thomas may face in his life. Bowel cancer is one of the common cancers affecting Bloom's sufferers as well as the general population and we are proud to support Beating Bowel Cancer.
Run to the Beat is the first of hopefully many fundraising events we will be taking part in. We will be setting up our own charitable trust and website shortly and hope to raise lots of money to donate to many more charities.
We want to thank our friends and family for supporting us and in particular those brave souls who will be running to the beat on 27th September.
Thank you for your support
Rachel and Jamie Yates
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