I am doing this challenge for a charity called The Duchenne
Research Fund which is a charity close to my heart. 

It is a charity set up by my friends Kerry and Doron Rosenfeld over 10 years ago when their son Gavriel was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a progressive and fatal
muscle-wasting disease that almost exclusively affects boys. It is caused by a lack of dystrophin, a protein that is needed to hold muscles together. Without dystrophin, all skeletal muscles begin to deteriorate, leading to paralysis, heart and lung failure, and early death – on average in the sufferer’s mid-twenties.

Duchenne is 100% fatal. There is currently no cure.

Lack of dystrophin is the result of an error in the
dystrophin gene, which is found on the X chromosome. As boys only have a single X chromosome, this error causes them to have Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Girls can be carriers of the genetic error, and in 1% of cases they can be sufferers.

The genetic error can be inherited from a female carrier. However, in a third of cases it is caused by a completely spontaneous genetic mutation – and therefore can happen to anyone.

For more information, go to www.duchenne.org.uk 

Thank you for your support. Every penny will make a difference.