28 April 2016 – The Save Our Sons team of travel-weary walkers arrived at Melbourne’s Federation Square this week to a tumultuous welcome from supporters and onlookers after 13 days on the road. The team completed the 351 kilometre trek from Albury on the NSW/Victorian border, travelling mostly on country back-roads.
The Save Our Sons charity marathon walk raised funds and awareness for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), the most common form of muscular dystrophy in children. The disease causes aggressive muscle degeneration almost exclusively in young boys and leads to the inability to walk and has a 100 per cent fatality rate.
This year’s walk raised in excess of $300,000 online and the charity’s target of $500,000 is close to being achieved, with a gala fundraiser dinner at the end of the week expected to boost donations.
Leading the team was Save Our Sons founder, Elie Eid, who pushed his son, Emilio, a DMD sufferer, in a wheelchair all the way to Melbourne.
The journey started in the early hours of 15 April as the team of volunteers prepared for the official start of the walk. Within hours, a group of walkers, support team and operations crew headed out on the gruelling journey to Melbourne, waved off by well-wishers and Save Our Sons ambassadors, rock singer, Angry Anderson, former NRL referee, Bill Harrigan and author, Prue McSween.
PAYCE project manager, Michael Malak, a long-time supporter of Save Our Sons, joined the fundraiser again this year after participating in last year’s Sydney to Canberra walk.
Michael said he was proud to be part of this year’s walk and to be representing PAYCE, who has added its corporate support to the charity fundraiser with a $20,000 donation.
PAYCE Managing Director, Brian Boyd said it was important to raise awareness for the debilitating disease and welcomed the opportunity to support the Save Our Sons’ initiative.
‘Hopefully by raising awareness, there will be increased funds available for researching a cure so that children with this currently incurable disease can have a better and longer life,” he said.
“We were thinking of Michael and the team on their travels and pleased that they completed their journey safelyand met their fundraising target.”
Save Our Sons has joined a global alliance, called the Duchenne Alliance, to take the fight against DMD worldwide.
Funding of scientific trials is coordinated and allocated by Save the Sons, based on the advice of a team of expert scientific advisors around the world to ensure which trials will produce the maximum benefit. This year’s fundraiser is also aimed at putting a clinical nurse in every main children’s hospital in the country.
To donate to Save Our Sons go to www.saveoursons.org.au/donate-now.
