Alec’s Big Fun Run

Alec's Big Fun Run

This August, Alec will be taking part in a 5k Fun Run with his Mum and Dad and lots of friends.

Alec (6) is now reliant on his wheel chair for any distances over a few hundred yards so he will be doing this 5k course in his chair, Mum and Dad will be taking it in turns to push him around the course and Alec will attempt to Run the first and the final 100 yards with the help of his friends.

The Team

• Alec Syphas
• Roy Syphas
• Rachel Hanson
• Alan Syphas
• Monica Syphas
• Sharon Marriott
• Angela Greenwood
• Abi Greenwood
• Finley Greenwood
• Lindsay Baker
• Fiona Stone
• Harry Crowe
• Charles Crowe
• Liz Finnigan
• Paul Finnigan

The Cause
On the surface, Alec Syphas is like any other 6 year old: full of imagination, mischief and adventure. Alec loves Superheroes. They play an active role in his imagination, and they are the perfect metaphor for his life. Alec is fighting a big super villain: Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). This degenerative disease challenges him every day, hour and minute. He fights back hard. Some days he succeeds and some days he doesn’t, but he always gives his all in the daily battle to succeed at the simple everyday tasks that come so easily for the rest of us.

Alec was born in Sheffield, UK on the 27th June 2009 to Rachel Hanson (Sheffield) and Roy Syphas (Aylesbury). Being born three weeks premature, he came into the world fighting and grew into a seemingly fit, happy and healthy little boy, but in 2014 he had to start fighting all over again.

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
Early symptoms of DMD include enlargement of the calf and deltoid muscles, low endurance levels, struggling to ascend stairs and walk or run with confidence. By the tender age of 10 , children suffering with DMD require assistance with walking aids and braces. By 13, most will be reliant on the use of a wheelchair. As DMD spreads through a child’s body, other areas become affected: arms, neck, and breathing difficulties, are a definite occurrence. These combined difficulties eventually lead to paralysis and death.

Steroid treatment will help to extend the length of time Alec will stay on his feet under his own strength, as well as improve the quality of his too-short life. Treatment will also delay the inevitable reliance upon a wheelchair by a year or two. Sadly, there is no treatment available to extend Alec’s life expectancy.

The ultimate aim is to raise awareness for Duchenne and in the process raise a few £'s to improve the quality of Alec's life. Many of the specialist equipment items Alec will require can cost thousands. Our aim is to help Alec stay mobile as long as possible and with the help of things like the Race runner, wheelchairs and ceiling tracks he can do just that.

Thanks for all your support

Alec's Avengers Team