Alfie is our beautiful and happy 9 year old boy. He's a cheeky little chap whose smile lights up any room!

6 years ago, our world was torn apart with the news that Alfie had been diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a severe type of muscular dystrophy.

Since Alfie's diagnosis, our outlook on life as a family is to 'live for the day' and we have created wonderful memories that we will treasure forever. We have worked with and supported various charities who have been there for our family along the way. We feel it's important to give back in recognition of the support charities provide, not just for our family but also other families who are affected not just now but also in the future.

As a Dad, I have personally found it very hard to deal with Alfie's devastating diagnosis and raising awareness of his condition is one of my coping mechanisms. Running is also one of my 'fixers' and is beneficial to my mental health.

Last year, I challenged myself to running a couple of 10k events so I decided to push myself that bit further in 2024 and I have signed up to run the Wigan Half Marathon on Sunday 17th March.

My training is well under way and you can keep an eye on my training via the Strava updates on this page. I have also committed to being alcohol free from January 1st 2024 until I've crossed the finish line then I'll celebrate with a nice cold pint!!

I will be fundraising on behalf of Alfie for Muscular Dystrophy UK.

MDUK have also provided endless support for us and we have made some fantastic new friends along the way! We were also invited to attend the BGC Charity Day in September 2023 where we met MDUK ambassadors, Gabby Logan, Russell Howard and David Moyes. We also got to rub shoulders with a host of other well known celebrities that day!

MDUK support 111,000 people living with muscle-wasting conditions. They are making a difference today, providing vital information and support to help people live as independently as possible. They are making a difference for tomorrow, accelerating progress in research and driving the campaign for access to emerging treatments.

Please if you can support Alfie's fundraiser with a small donation it will mean the world, not just to our family but other families too.

I will also be running in memory of a friend from high school, Cathy Gorse who sadly passed away in February 2024. Cathy regularly shared my social media posts to help to continually raise awareness of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Although Cathy was unwell herself, she was always thinking of others and before her passing had spoken to her sister, Joanne about the awareness I had done for Duchenne and about the blogs I had written.

Cathy so kindly requested that donations in her memory to go to a charity that support Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. As a tribute to Cathy, I will wear a hint of purple on the day of my half marathon as it is Cathy’s wish for her funeral 💜

Thank you,

Kieron (Alfie's Dad) x