A Brixton man is pushing himself to the limit to help a colleague whose son was recently diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
Brendan Zecevic battled through the Crystal Palace Triathlon on May 18, in a generous attempt to raise money for the charity Harrison’s Fund.
Mr Zecevic, 35, swam 750m before completing a 20k bike ride and then finished the challenge with a draining 5k run.
He was so moved by learning about the plight of a little boy named Leon Arnold that he felt compelled to take action. The boy’s father, James, is a work colleague and a good friend.
Mr Zecevic had never heard of the Duchenne condition and said: “I wanted to offer some support with something more than just sympathy and kind words, so I set myself the triathlon challenge.
“It was exhausting at times but the thought of what these children go through every day kept me strong and I finished the race.”
Harrison’s Fund was set up in 2011 by Alex and Donna Smith when they discovered their own son Harrison had Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Duchenne results in progressive muscle weakness caused by the lack of a protein called dystrophin, and it is tragically 100 per cent fatal.
In the UK one in 3,500 boys is born with the genetic condition each year and their average lifespan is just 20 years. Harrison’s Fund is aimed at raising as much money as possible to help the world’s experts in their quest to find a cure.
Mr Zecevic has raised £500 through his exploits so far and wants to double that total.
“I am planning bake sales, maybe a pub quiz, a 10k run, whatever it takes to raise a grand by the end of the year,” he said.
Founder of the charity, Alex Smith, is rightly proud of his endeavours: “We are so grateful to Brendan for choosing Harrison’s Fund to support, his efforts will help families of children with Duchenne have a more hopeful future,” he said.
To support Brendan please visit www.justgiving.com/Brendan-Zecevic
