Hi,

Thanks for taking the time to look at the page.

In July, myself and a number of my friends from Airbus will be taking part in the “3 Peaks Challenge”. This challenge involves climbing Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon all within a 24 hour period.

We are doing this all in the name of charity! The team are a fantastic bunch, and they all have some great charities they will be supporting.

The charity I am supporting is FRAXA. This choice is for very personal reasons.

 Some of you may know that my little boy Cole, suffers from Fragile X Syndrome. Fragile X is a rare genetic condition and mental disability. Symptoms of his condition are:  

• Intellectual disabilities, ranging from mild to severe.
• Attention deficit and hyperactivity
• Anxiety and unstable mood.
• Autistic behaviors, such as hand-flapping and not making eye contact.
• Sensory integration problems, such as hypersensitivity to loud noises or bright lights.
• Speech delay, with expressive language more severely affected than receptive language.
• Seizures (epilepsy) affect about 25% of people with Fragile X syndrome.

FRAXA’s mission is to find effective treatments and ultimately a cure for Fragile X syndrome. They directly fund research grants and fellowships at top universities around the world. They partner with biomedical and pharmaceutical companies, large and small, to bridge the gap between research discoveries and actual treatments.

Treatments for Fragile X are likely to help people affected by autism, Alzheimer’s, and other brain disorders.

I’ve no doubt it’s going to be one of the toughest challenges I’ve ever faced personally. But knowing that I am doing this to support the search for a cure, that will hopefully give Cole a normal life, will be all the motivation I need at the toughest points in this challenge.

There are so many worthy causes out there. Thanks for reading and I hope you’d consider donating to Fraxa. 

Mike