n army Major will traverse 1,200 miles of the United States barefoot as part of a £2.5 million campaign aimed at pioneering gene therapy for his 9-year-old daughter.
Chris Brannigan from West Byfleet Surrey Being challenged to help pay for the clinical trial of a potential treatment for his daughter Hasti who was diagnosed with the developmental disorder Cornelia de Lange syndrome (CdLS).
Major Brannigan has walked 700 miles barefoot in the United Kingdom and raised 500,000 pounds, but he will continue to campaign in the United States, which is developing this treatment.
He will start from Maine And went to North Carolina to visit laboratories that developed treatment methods and other websites related to supporting children with CdLS.
He expects to walk 1,200 miles for 53 consecutive days, up to 35 miles a day, and carry a 25 kg kit, including his single tent.
The 41-year-old said that the challenge of fundraising is vital to creating new therapies.
He told the PA News Agency: “It exists. It is on the shelf of a laboratory in Maine. We are about to start efficacy trials. All staff are very optimistic about the effects it will produce.
“We hope that we can directly enter the clinical trial early next year, but it depends on whether we have the necessary funds, so I am accepting this fundraising challenge.”
When describing the impact of CdLS on Hasti, he added: “It is multi-system, so it affects Hasti in many different ways, causing seizures, cognitive impairment, learning disabilities, and it reduces Hasti’s growth rate, which means She needs to take growth hormone supplements every day.
“This will affect her speech and language. She didn’t start speaking until she was five years old, so her communication skills declined. This means that many other children find things easy for Hasty to be quite difficult for Hasti, and it’s very isolated. “
He said that Hasti has been supporting him in preparing for the hike and added: “She has been helping me prepare and pack up. For the past three weeks, we have been walking together and had a very enjoyable time. . Time together, but I hope she will miss me because I will be away for a few months.”
Major Brannigan said that his previous barefoot trek in the UK was “really painful”, which resulted in multiple blisters and infections.
Maj Brannigan and his wife Hengameh set up a GoFundMe page to sponsor as part of their charity CdLS Hope For Hasti.
He said that military communities including Upavon Wiltshire So far, he has been very supportive and helped raise most of the funds.
For details, please visit: https://www.gofundme.com/f/hopeforhasti
