Curing Muscular Dystrophy one kilometre at a time
North Bondi’s Rob Murphy has just returned from a Sydney to Melbourne charity bike ride that aimed to raise $1 million for vital research into curing Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
The ride, which saw 25 people participate including NSW Premier Nathan Rees and Federal MP Tony Abbott, was inspired by Murphy’s best mate Julian Thompson whose son was diagnosed with the disease in 2006. The two participated in a similar event last year in Cambodia and thought they would replicate it here to raise money for the Institute of Neuromuscular Research (INMR), based at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead.
The group kicked their stokes out and began to peddle their 12,000 km journey on March 7, and finished on March 23 with all members of the group completing the trip. So far they have raised $800,000 which will help to fight the debilitating disease that affects 1 in 1000 children in Australia each year.
DMD results in a progressive degeneration of the muscles of the limbs, diaphragm and heart, with those affected losing the ability to perform even simple functions such as scratching their noses by their mid teens. Sufferers of DMD typically die in their early 20s from respiratory failure, as the muscles of breathing are no longer able to function. Incredibly, the cost per case of Muscular Dystrophy is higher than cancer, cardiovascular disease, MS, diabetes, injuries, mental illness, musculoskeletal disease and asthma.
It has no cure and all its sufferers face the prospect of life in a wheelchair and a shortened life span.
To donate visit the Muscular Dystrophy website at www.mda.org.au.
– By John Duckett
