Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

My name's Jim Dorney. Myself, Colin Lee & James Clelland are going to be running the Reading half marathon on April 1st looking to raise money for the Myotonic Dystrophy Support Group. 

On February 7th 2011 my son Wilson was born.  All seemed fine, but 24 hours after being discharged from hospital he was readmitted due to feeding problems.  Wilson was in hospital for two weeks - during this time the doctors noticed more issues, namely his floppiness and an oxygen requirement. Despite numerous tests, the doctors were none the wiser and as he started to improve Wilson was discharged.

For the next 6 months the doctors then kept a close eye on him, he began regular physiotherapy sessions and started to catch up with his peers.  Then in September of last year, Wilson was diagnosed with Congenital Myotonic Dystrophy.  Congenital Myotonic Dystrophy is an extremely variable condition, and no two cases are the same. There is no cure, but there is a lot of ongoing research which doctors are optimistic in thinking will result in better treatment for the condition.

Wilson is a lovely happy little boy, who is currently making good progress. Unfortunately with Congenital Myotonic Dystrophy, there is no way to get a long-term prognosis, and we just have to wait & see what issues he may face.

Throughout the whole process of his diagnosis & issues leading up to it, my wife & I have felt like there's nothing we can really do to help, but if we can raise money to fund research to help Wilson & others like him then we can help make a difference, and hasten the progress of research into Myotonic Dystrophy.

 

*********** POST-RUN UPDATE ************

Hi all

I’m pleased to say that Colin Lee, myself & James Clelland all completed the Reading Half Marathon on Sunday, posting the following times;

Colin Lee – 1hr 26mins & 51 seconds

Anyone who has gone running with Colin knows that me & James had absolutely zero chance of catching him. This time was 23 seconds from his personal best (from 14 years ago) showing there is plenty of life in the old dog yet. Put simply, when it comes to running the man is a beast, and completely relentless.

Jim Dorney – 1hr 43 mins & 3 seconds

I was aiming for anything around 1hr 45, so was really pleased with that. It beat my only previous attempt by around 17 minutes, which shows that doing a little training truly pays dividends…

James Clelland – 1hr 48 mins & 45 seconds

James managed this time despite suffering blisters from around half way, which is a great effort, and only a couple of minutes from his personal best at the distance.

I think these times are all the more impressive given how hot it was on Saturday, and I’d like to thank both Colin & James both for their help with the fundraising, and for putting in great performances on the run.

In terms of the fundraising, I’m please to confirm that the current standing total is £3,040 – Well over (121%!) the original target I’d set of £2,500, which I’d readily admit I thought was optimistic.

Both my wife & I feel truly humbled by the generosity people have shown. I’d like to say a huge thanks on behalf of us both (plus little Wilson, who was there to cheer us on) for all those who have donated.

Thankyou!

Jim