On 16th June 2018 and after a lot of (enough?) training I will be joining a team organised by my brother Steve, to attempt to conquer the National Three Peaks Challenge – climbing Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon in a 24 hour period.  This is a tough challenge particularly for someone who prefers going up, to the wobbly and painful journey down.

Why am I doing this?

As a mere desk-jockey it takes a fair amount to spur me into action, but below is a bit of background to our mission:

Five years ago, my nephew Max, then just one year old, suffered two broken legs in under two months. His world and that of my brother and his wife immediately changed forever.

They found themselves in a 'dual investigation' between Doctors and Police & Social Services. They were looking to understand why their little boy had broken both legs in a matter of weeks... they were desperate to find out why too.  After being told "their son may not come home with either of them" they found themselves in a very different world to the one they had known.

Thanks to a chance conversation with a doctor, Max was diagnosed with a rare condition called Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) also known as Brittle Bones - a life-long condition which their son has to deal with.

This year, children in the UK (and across the world) who have OI will be taken into care, because there will be suspicion of child abuse. If a child is then adopted, they will still break bones, but will never be able to be 'given back' to their natural parents, even after they have been diagnosed with OI.

The fact is, OI is a rare condition, so sadly, it is difficult to diagnose at
first sight.

We want to raise awareness so medical staff, police and other professional agencies think 'Could it be OI?' before taking children away from their parents.  We also want to help provide much needed funding to a charity that provides help and support and acts as a focal point for many families and individuals facing similar circumstances.

Max and his family have had so much support from The Brittle Bone Society, that we wanted to 'make some noise' to raise awareness of this rare condition. We also wanted to raise funds to help with much needed research, emotional support and physical support for the children and adults who have OI.

Max has a milder form of Brittle Bones. He has 'only' broken 15 bones in the last five years. Others who have a more severe form of OI have broken over 250 bones in a similar timeframe.

“Brittle bones”, as the name suggests means that bones break with little or no trauma. Though fragile bones are the hallmark of OI, other medical problems, including loose joints, short stature, early hearing loss, brittle teeth, respiratory problems and 'easy bruising' are also part of the  condition. Many people with this condition live their lives in wheelchairs and require specialist help throughout.  Some may not even make it far into adulthood.

Please give what you can afford as it will make a real difference to the people affected by OI.

Thank you for your support. The team has been taking part in a number of events over several months and The Three Peaks Challenge is, the final episode. 

With many thanks from me, Max and his family and of course the Brittle Bone Society.

Colin Edney