Chelmsford dad hoping to run London Marathon in 2.5 hours for friend’s child
There are only 15 other cases of a variation of the CDK8 gene known worldwide.
A Chelmsford father of two is taking on the London Marathon for a nine-year-old who has a rare genetic condition.
Financial analyst Chris Jakubowski, 40, is hoping to beat his personal best of two hours 42 minutes to help raise funds for Winne Heath - the daughter of a family friend.
Winnie, who was recently diagnosed with a variation of the CDK8 gene, is completely blind, unable to walk, and has very limited speech.
She also has problems with her heart and kidneys and has epilepsy.
The family and their supporters are fundraising to buy equipment and therapy for Winnie to help her communicate and to gain more strength and movement.
They're hoping to raise around £10,000 altogether.
Chris said: "This will be my third London Marathon – I was given a free place because of the time I achieved last time. So it made perfect sense to use it to help raise funds for Winnie. Fiona has been a close friend of my sister Lucy’s since childhood. I’m a dad of two girls and have huge empathy for Fiona and her family and their constant efforts to do their absolute best for Winnie. I’m delighted to be able to help with fundraising in this way."
The father-of-two has already exceeded his target goal of £2000.
The family is being supported by children’s charity Tree of Hope which helps families fundraise for children like Winnie with healthcare needs where the NHS can’t support and provides charity status to benefit from gift aid, corporate support whilst also providing donor reassurance.
To sponsor Chris visit: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Marathon4winnie.
To donate to Winnie’s fund visit: https://www.treeofhope.org.uk/transform-winnies-life/.
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