Article by Victoria Young, Engagement and Support Officer
This Sunday 3rd October we have four runners taking on the London Marathon and five taking on the Virtual London Marathon. In this blog we are shining a spotlight on all of them!
As a Duchenne parent, following our runners’ journey’s has been one of the most amazing experiences of my life.
We all know the massive impact the pandemic has had on fundraising events, with big races cancelled and postponed. As a small charity with big ambitions, the backbone of our funding really does come from our supporters.
Our runners are not the super heroes who wear capes or have superpowers, but each and every one of them is a true hero. In what has been such an uncertain time they have kept me believing and given me hope. This hope keeps me going, it keeps me believing that there is a future where lives are no longer limited by Duchenne muscular dystrophy. This feeling of hope is what keeps our Duchenne community together.
Meet our heroes
Laura and Jon Howden-Evans
Turning 50 and running a marathon…..meet the amazing Jon and Laura Howden-Evans who are running in the London Marathon.
I’m running my first marathon, to challenge myself as I turn 50, and to raise vital funding to address the impact of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) on family and friends – and support them in challenges they have to overcome each day.
Jon
When I’m struggling in the later stages of the marathon, I’ll be thinking of Ioan and all those that live with this cruel condition…who on a daily basis keep fighting to put one foot in front of another to keep walking and stay mobile. I am so lucky to be able to run – I will never take it for granted.
Laura
Join us in wishing Jon and Laura the best of luck and show your support by leaving a message and donation on their fundraising pages!
Elaine Smith
I’ve been lucky enough to get a place in this year’s London Marathon. Covid put a stop to a lot of fundraising so this time I’ve decided to split it across two charities. I am raising money for Action Duchenne, an amazing UK charity which spends 87p in every £1 they raise on ground-breaking Duchenne research, world-class support for Duchenne families, and cutting edge science education.
Elaine
A big thank you to all who have put donations into the Harj Tina Bakery Action Duchenne collection box to support Elaine! You can also show your support on her Just Giving page
Richard Thompson
Earlier this month we were honoured to have Richard join Team AD for the London Marathon. Richard is a friend of a Duchenne family we have supported. We know this will mean so much to them.
I am excited to be supporting two small charities that have touched the lives of two of my friends. I’ve picked these charities for the impact they have had on close friends and also smaller charities have suffered considerably over the global pandemic when they are often needed the most.
Richard
Welcome Richard to Team AD and show your support on his fundraising page
Jess Cain
Jess is an Autistic SEND Advocate and is running the Virtual London Marathon for T-Jay, who lives with Duchenne.
She first came into contact with T-Jay’s Mum, Mandy, two years ago when the local authority were trying to remove his personal care assistant, meaning he would not be able to attend school safely. Jess supported the family and T-Jay is now able to attend school safely, with the correct equipment and access all areas, with support on hand from her at any time to help sort out any educational issues.
As a mother myself I cannot even begin to imagine what it must feel like to know from an early age that you will outlive your child and have to watch them deteriorate before your eyes. Action Duchenne are at the heart of the DMD community; they take part in research, support families affected as well as so much more. 50% of the staff and trustees have a child with DMD.
Jess
Show your support for Jess as she takes on the Virtual London Marathon this Sunday
Ben and Harry Dolling
Meet our youngest ever participant in the London Marathon…Harry Dolling age 4!
Harry will be joining his Dad, Ben, taking on the virtual London Marathon.
Over the past few years since Harry’s diagnosis with DMD, Action Duchenne have been very good to us, giving us their time and answering any questions we had. We’ve attended conferences and participated in a Science on tour . We can see what great work the charity does to support families and we hope that by raising money running the virtual London Marathon we can help with this in some small way and give something back.
Ben
Ben and Harry’s positivity throughout their training and fundraising have put a big smile on our faces! Show your support for them here
Terrie and Paige
For Terrie and Paige, the 3rd of October is a special day to them. They are running the Virtual London Marathon in memory of someone incredibly special.
I lost my son, Jordan, back in September 2016. Jordan had a great life, just not a great quality of life but he was a real character right until the very end. Jordan was a funny, cheeky, kind hearted young man with a very dry sense of humour and we miss him terribly. Along with my niece, Paige, we shall be running in the Virtual London Marathon on Sunday October 3rd 2021, which will be 5 years to the day that we held Jordan’s funeral, raising money for Action Duchenne in memory of Jordan.”
Terrie
Please show your support and leave a donation in Jordan’s memory via their fundraising page
Good luck and keep smiling!
Join us in wishing Laura, Jon, Elaine, Richard, Jess, Ben, Harry, Terrie and Paige the best of luck completing their 26.2 miles. They have all done absolutely amazingly with their fundraising, it has been lovely to read all the messages of support on their fundraising pages.
I want to say a personal thank you from me to all our heroes. You have given me so much strength, and as parent of a recently diagnosed child, I have really needed it.
My message to our runners would be, when you are finding the running tough, remember why you doing this. Remember the Duchenne community and how special it is, and how we need support and to find better treatments, and one day a cure.
You can do this, we are all right behind you in spirit!
Wishing you all the best of luck,
Victoria and Dougie x
September Fundraising Round Up
