Wilson and Hannah Lam from London are taking on our Pedal Paddle Peak – Lake District challenge, which involves a 34km cycle, 3km canoe paddle and 17km hike to the peak of Helvellyn mountain. Joined by close friends and family, the couple are doing the challenge in support of their son Lance, 4, who lives with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. We caught up with them to find out why they signed up.
“As parents you can feel pretty helpless, so we’re doing this for Lance”
Fundraising for Muscular Dystrophy UK is something that is close to our hearts, after our eldest son Lance was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy last summer.
Lance was a bit delayed in hitting some development milestones like crawling and walking. We were always wondering about his balance and if that was causing the issues, so we took him to a physio who mentioned that his calves were slightly large for his age and suggested that we take him for some blood tests.
We did the thing that so many people do in these situations – started googling symptoms and possible reasons, and then we organised blood tests straight away as we became so anxious.
“Two weeks after his fourth birthday, Lance was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.”
Neither of us had ever heard of Duchenne muscular dystrophy prior to Lance’s diagnosis so it came as a real shock. The rest of the family have been very supportive; each taking time to learn about the condition and keep up to date with all things Duchenne. Although, like us, they still can’t believe it’s really happening to Lance.
“On a day-to-day basis, we can see Lance limiting himself during playtime and school activities, maybe not joining in for the more physical games.”
He gets tired from short journeys, and we know that he can sense he’s different to his younger brother. But he’s such a sweet boy and loves to get involved with everything. He’s turning five two weeks after we take part in this challenge event, and like lots of kids his age, his favourite things are T-Rex dinosaurs and fire trucks!
Pedal Paddle Peak is the first challenge we’ve taken on for charity and we’re looking forward to spending the time with close friends and family. We’ve got six of them joining us to make up two teams of four.
“It feels good to do something for Lance. As parents, you can feel pretty helpless when your child receives a devastating diagnosis like this.”
We started looking for ways we could help, and supporting Muscular Dystrophy UK by doing this challenge seemed a great way to kick things off. We’re looking forward to pushing ourselves physically for the cause and using this time to create memories with the closest people around us.
“Taking part in fundraising like this means a lot to us. There’s only so much we can do as parents aside from the physical and emotional support.”
By fundraising, we can make a difference collectively for new research into treatments and ensure everyone living with a muscle wasting condition gets the help they need. We’re also keen to raise awareness, not just of Lance’s condition, but the importance of accessibility in public spaces.
We’re doing this for Lance and are so grateful for everyone’s support. Together we can make a difference.
Support Team Lance’s fundraising
By supporting Wilson and Hannah and their team’s efforts, you’ll be contributing to crucial research and support services for individuals living with muscle wasting conditions.
Inspired by this story?
Sign up for our Pedal Paddle Peak – Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) challenge in September and help change the future of muscle wasting conditions.
