A FUNDRAISING campaign has been launched to help a dale youngster with a rare degenerative muscle disease get more mobile.
Claire and Cieran Chidzey need to raise more than £12,000 to buy an all-terrain wheelchair for their son Ryan, who suffers from Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
The 11-year-old was diagnosed with the condition on January 24, 2017, when he was just three.
His mum said: “It is a day that stood still for me. Hearing such devastating news is completely heart-breaking. You plan your child’s future with hopes and dreams then it all comes crashing down.”
Since the diagnosis, the family has raised almost £50,000 for the Duchenne Research Breakthrough Fund in the hope of finding a cure.
Now they hope a special wheelchair will allow Ryan to exercise his assistance dog and best friend, Marshall, in all weathers.
Claire said: “If Ryan is upset, Marshall will recognise that and will sit next to him and comfort him. Marshall has been a tower of strength for Ryan. His current wheelchair is no longer suitable because he can’t go through the woods or go down to the river with Marshall and he can’t go out in the snow.”
The youngster, who attends Hummersknott Academy, in Darlington, is on steroids and has to take heart medication.
His mother paid tribute to her son’s bravery in dealing with his condition, which was also recognised by Gainford Primary School in his final year there when he received the school’s Resilience Award.
Claire said: “He is only 11 but he is the strongest person I have ever met.”
In its first week the family’s crowdfunding appeal has already raised more than £2,000. To donate go to https://shorturl.at/DriZL or seeach Our Fight For Ryan on Facebook.
