Declan was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy at age 8. Previous to his diagnosis, from the age of 4, he had been seen yearly by a peadiatric consultant after raising concerns by myself and school regarding his excessive amount of falls and had been told he most likely had dyspraxia. Just before his 8th birthday the doctor decided to run some blood tests which came back with Ck levels 10,000+ and further blood tests confirming Duchenne.

This was a shock to us all, before diagnosis I didn’t know anything about the condition or how this would impact on Declan’s health. Soon realizing, through research and speaking to his new neuromuscular team how life as we knew it had been turned upside. His diagnosis also sending reverberations through the family with me, my mum and sister also finding out we are carriers of the gene. As a family we have come together and we are stronger than we ever were before. Working together to support Declan through every step of his Duchenne journey. Declan’s determination and resilience inspires us to continue to do our bit to raise money for MDUK. As a family we have previously raised funds for MDUK through sponsored swims, bike rides and taking part in pedal, paddle, peak challenge.

Our goal in raising money through Declan’s family fund is to do our part to help towards vital research into Duchenne which will better the lives of children like Declan, giving them the best start possible in life. As well as the ability to continue to provide support for families who may be struggling with diagnosis or the day-to-day life caring for loved ones with a muscle wasting condition.

80% of your donation will go to research into Duchenne muscular dystrophy and 20% will be held in trust by the charity for Declan's future needs