There is nothing more satisfying than helping someone close to home and close to your heart. It’s been 4 years since my last big fund raiser for William and we’re not doing it by halves! This time it’s a Triathlon and it’s tying in with my 50th birthday, so a big group of us are going to swim 50 lengths of a 25mtr pool, bike 50k and run 5.0 miles. So, 50, 50, 5.0. That was the idea anyway. For me it’s been 12 years since I’ve done anything more than 1 bike ride, so this is no mean feat. My main focus is to get fit for it without getting injured because at 50 I can tell you this is hard. But so very, very worth it for William. Even if I crawl round I’ll do it.

William is our Amber’s best friend and they met at 2 weeks old on a play mat whilst Jo and I had a cuppa after the baby weigh in. It wasn’t until William’s 3rd birthday that he was diagnosed with DMD and Jo and Matt’s world tumbled down. As friends it was horrendous, and for them unimaginable. Little William had always kept himself to himself when the others were being rowdy, that was why. He is an incredibly wonderful little boy with such a character, if you don’t already know him, you must try and meet him. He’s very funny with a beaming smile. He and the rest of his family, Jo, Matt & sis Phoebe deserve as much joy together as possible. Let’s see what we can do.

If you could spare a few ££ towards finding a cure for Duchenne and for William to enjoy as many experiences in his life as possible we’d be so grateful. Thank you in advance and please come along to the John Clements Social Club on the morning of 3rd July to see us in action.

Lots of love Vikki and Team DWAD xx

William was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy in January 2016 at just 3 years old. Duchenne MD is one of the most common fatal genetic disorders to affect children around the world. 1 in 3500 boys are affected with DMD. It is a devastating, progressive and currently incurable muscle-wasting disease. Duchenne results in progressive loss of strength and is caused by a mutation in the gene that encodes for dystrophin, a protein that plays a key structural role in muscle fibre function. Boys with DMD do not produce dystrophin.

Life expectancy is improving as standards of care and knowledge about Duchenne increase however, there is currently no cure for Duchenne.