My name is Carl Tilson; I’m 21 years old living with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, from Manchester, England!

I have a terminal illness called Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, A muscle wasting illness that hardly gets talked about that causes muscle weakness deterioration overtime and eventually early death, affects mainly boys! Life expectancy is between 18 – 25 years and its one of the biggest killers of mankind. 

A boy is born without the production of a protein called Dystrophin which is responsible for muscle recovery and function which causes muscles to weaken overtime until there’s nothing left, in their late teens early twenties the condition affects their heart and respiratory system and they are left fighting for their lives

I had a normal life growing up, I was walking like everybody else, I remember playing with the other children and riding my bike! My parents noticed when I was 4 years old something wasn’t right because I was slower than my other peers at school, My parents took me to see a few doctors but they just said “He’ll be fine, he probably just a slow starter” Still not satisfied with the doctors diagnostic my parents took me to Pendlebury Childrens Hospital for some tests and had a muscle biopsy, the results came back with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. My parents were very upset and were shocked! You can’t imagine what they must of felt…

My Dad (Fred Tilson) and mother (Linda Tilson) thought I would grow up and lead a normal life without any problems; maybe I would have grown up and became a footballer like my granddad who played for Manchester City FC & England in the 1930's! Even though I was born with DMD my parents says they are still proud of me no matter what.

Although the causes of Duchenne are usually genetic, boys can be born with DMD with no history of the condition – this is called a mutation, also girls can get Duchenne but it’s very rare!

What would you do if it was your son?

The money raised will go towards funding critical research projects aimed at identifying a cure (and effective treatments), for this life shattering condition. Action Duchenne - Cure Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (Action Duchenne) is a registered charity and funds research! www.actionduchenne.org

If you prefer to donate offline you can send a cheque to the charity at Action Duchenne, Epicentre, 41 West Street, London, E11 4LJ - Please leave a note saying that your donating to this website!

We need your help. without a cure there is no hope for any DMD sufferer. Please Give Generously!

Donating through this site is simple and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Action Duchenne will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.

So please sponsor us now and make a huge difference!

Many thanks for your kindness and support.

For more information email me: actiontilson@hotmail.co.uk

“Life living with DMD is like living a life sentence on death row.”