A devoted aunt is running in three races to raise money into research for the disease which is slowly killing her nephew.
Sarah Patch, a mum of three who lives in Southern Road, Thame, adores her six-year-old nephew Tomos, the youngest child of her sister Amanda.
Tomos was born with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a severe and progressive muscle wasting disease for which there is no cure. Sufferers die in their late teens or early twenties.
Sarah said: “Tomos is a very loving little boy, he is like a normal child but with learning difficulties. He enjoys horse riding and swimming and goes to a normal school but eventually he will need complete care. The disease affects everything including the heart and he will need a ventilator at bedtime and eventually a wheelchair.”
Sarah is running in the 10k Action Duchenne Love Run in London on Saturday; the Adidas Half Marathon at Silverstone on March 3; and the 10k Bupa run in May.
Sarah is in training up to five times a week and said: “It’s the thought of Tomos and my sister that keeps me running. It makes me appreciate what I can do. He will never get to my age or enjoy running like this.”
Monies raised allow Action Duchenne to fund research to find a cure and campaign for better standards of care for all the young people living with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. To sponsor Sarah go to www.justgiving.com/SarahPatch