A mother from Alton whose 18-month-old son was diagnosed with a muscle-wasting condition earlier this month has raised £7,520 towards research for a cure in just six days.
April Brant-Coles started a GoFundMe page for Muscular Dystrophy UK after her little boy Remi was found to have Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
Muscular Dystrophy UK is a charity bringing individuals, families and professionals together to fight such conditions.
Duchenne muscular dystrophy is caused by the lack of a protein called dystrophin and it usually affects only boys.
About 100 boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy are born in the UK each year and there are currently about 2,500 boys and young men known to be living with the condition in the UK.
For the general population the risk of having a child with Duchenne muscular dystrophy is one in every 3,500 to 5,000 male births.
Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a serious condition that causes progressive muscle weakness. Owing to the lack of dystrophin muscle fibres break down and are replaced by fibrous and/or fatty tissue, causing the muscle to weaken gradually.
In the wake of the diagnosis, Remi’s mum, dad Tim and godparents Sam and Carl decided to raise funds for and awareness of Duchenne muscular dystrophy by organising charity events. Next April they will run the London Marathon to raise as much money as possible in honour of Remi.
April said: “Please share our page to help raise awareness of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Any sponsorship, no matter how big or small, will help towards our fundraising target and will be greatly appreciated.”
To donate visit www.gofundme.com/f/run-for-remi