Fundraising for poorly Gainford boy passes £10,000 in two months

THE village of Gainford has responded to a boy’s fight with a rare condition by raising more than £10,000 in just two months.
Neighbours, colleagues and friends of Claire and Cieran Chidzey have provided the family with an “astonishing” kick-start for their ambitious campaign to raise at least £50,000 to help the world’s leading scientists find a treatment for their son.
Three-year-old Ryan was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy in January. The family have been overwhelmed at the generosity and support they have had since receiving the devastating news of their son’s condition.
They set up ‘Our Fight for Ryan’,  with the charity Muscular Dystrophy UK. Donations have flooded in to their Just Giving campaign and kind-hearted supporters have held events including a coffee morning and a charity disco.
Claire Chidzey, Ryan’s mum, said: “I’m just overwhelmed at how kind and generous people have been.
“We’re still very much in shock from the diagnosis but we knew we had to fight it straight away.
“We want to give our boy, and others like him the best possible chance to beat this condition.
“Fundraising and getting it into the hands of the right scientists is, at times, the main thing keeping us going.” 
The condition causes muscles to weaken and waste over time, leading to increasingly severe disability.
People living with the illness may struggle with the everyday actions others take for granted – from walking and climbing stairs, to blinking and smiling.
For some, their heart and vital breathing muscles will weaken, cutting their lives short.
Stuart Murray, regional development manager for the North East and Cumbria at Muscular Dystrophy UK, said: “Through Our Fight for Ryan, the Chidzeys are working with us to grow the Duchenne Research Breakthrough Fund, which will support treatments for Duchenne muscular dystrophy and help build a clear pathway from the lab to those affected.
“We are immensely grateful to everyone.”
There is real confidence that Ryan’s future will not be defined by his condition, he added. His campaign has already raised £11,246.
Mr Murray added: “For every £170 raised, we can fund a full day of a scientist’s work developing potential treatments – treatments such as Utrophin upregulation, a replacement protein that could give Ryan a real chance of leading a full life despite his diagnosis. Every day counts and incredibly Our Fight for Ryan has already funded more than two months of this research.”