He’s on a ruck to raise research bucks.
An Afghanistan War vet has embarked upon a 1,200-mile charity march to support research into his daughter’s rare genetic disease.
On Saturday, day 25 of his trek, Chris Brannigan, 41, of England, passed through New York City — barefoot — on his hike from Bar Harbor, Maine to Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.
“I’ve had total strangers put me up in their home overnight, give me food to eat. They’ve treated me like one of their own family. A highlight of this trip is the incredible kindness of the American people,” Brannigan, a former major in the British Army, told The Post.
He served two tours with the infantry in Afghanistan. He’s also worked with the 82nd Airborne at Fort Bragg in North Carolina.
The foot soldier carries a 55-pound pack that includes a one-man tent. Tonight, he’ll bed down with New York’s Bravest, at uptown’s Engine 93/Ladder 45.
Brannigan hopes his journey will raise about $3.5 million to fund research into Cornelia de Lange Syndrome, or CdLS, a rare genetic disease from which his daughter, Hasti, 9, suffers.
The devoted dad and his wife Hengameh’s charity, Hope for Hasti, needs the cash to fund research underway at Maine-based Jackson Laboratory into a gene therapy that could offer hope for his daughter.
CdLS is usually not inherited, but instead caused by a random genetic mutation. It’s symptoms include a wide range of physical and behavioral difficulties.
For Hasti, the syndrome has impeded her growth and ability to learn, he said, as well as given her seizures.
The gene therapy is currently undergoing pre-clinical testing. If it’s shown to be safe and effective, he said he’ll apply for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to be included in a clinical trial.
Since the condition generally worsens after puberty, he’s praying Hasti can be included in that trial — along with other children facing the one-in-20,000 disease.
After Hasti was born, he said he and Hengemah didn’t accept what the doctors said: “There was no treatment.”
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