Mum to run Derby half-marathon while pushing daughter
A mother is set to run a half-marathon while pushing her 24-year old-daughter who has a rare and life-limiting condition.Alice Lee, from Alfreton, Derbyshire, was born with a CASK gene mutation, a condition that cannot be treated or cured and causes her to have epilepsy, severe visual impairment and no ability to eat or drink.Joanne Lee hopes to complete the 13.1-mile (21km) Derby Ramathon on Sunday, with Alice in a running wheelchair, to raise money for a charity dedicated to finding a cure for her daughter's condition."We know there's no fix for Alice but halting or slowing the loss of skills could make all the difference," the 51-year-old said.
CASK is the name of a gene that is essential for healthy development of the brain, said the CASK Research Foundation, and mutations can cause a range of disorders affecting brain function. Alice was 12 when her condition was diagnosed and Joanne said she had decided to stop working so she could focus on looking after her full-time."Since she was little, she has lost skills such as walking and we don't know how long her life would be, so I decided I wanted to finish work," she said.The move has enabled Joanne to run with Alice four times a week while pushing her in a special running wheelchair costing £4,500.
'Place she belongs'
Joanne said her daughter was the reason she started running and they both loved their new hobby."I needed to stay fit to be able to lift her and give her the life she deserves, but I also wanted something we could do together that fit around full-time work," she said."We started running when Alice was 16 and I never imagined how much she would love it, or how incredibly welcoming the running world would be."In a world where inclusion for adults with complex needs is pretty rubbish, running has given Alice a place where she belongs and is now a part of a community that sees her, welcomes her, and cheers her on every step of the way."Loking forward to the race on Sunday, Joanne said: "I'll be pushing Alice every mile of the way, for her, and for a future where others like her don't have to face this alone."We need to find something before it's too late."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
6 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Farmer buys 'deadliest field in the UK' after discovering poisonous plant which can be mistaken for household vegetable
A farmer has claimed to have purchased the deadliest field in the UK, after finding it filled with a harmful plant which can be mistaken for a common vegetable. Speaking on his Facebook page, the account Field to Farm shared a video of his field which was covered in Hemlock. The poisonous plant produces clusters of white flowers in summer, which makes it look strikingly similar to wild carrot flowers. Hemlock is often found in damp areas, such as ditches, river beds and waste ground. The plant can be distinguished by the distinctive and unpleasant smell of its foliage and its purple-spotted stems. Its smell means accidental poisonings are uncommon and even most livestock stay away from it. Just a tiny amount of hemlock, if consumed can be enough to kill a human or an animal. The farmer noticed the plants in a field which he had purchased and took to social media to warn his followers about the dangers. He said: 'I have bought a field to live in and I've realised it is full of poison. 'Commonly mistaken for wild carrot, this is hemlock, and, just eating any single part of this plant is enough to kill me. 'And on this part of my land it is absolutely everywhere. 'The amount of this you have to eat to die is realistically quite small. Four or five leaves, done. Game over. A couple of hours later, you're having seizures and you are dying. 'If you are going to mow this stuff down, you are mostly ok, but don't get the sap on your skin because it is going to blister your skin in a similar fashion to giant hogweed. 'You can maybe make out this one is absolutely covered in aphids and it is already going to seed. 'It provides a lot of flowers and sap and stuff for the invertebrates around the farm, but bit of a poison and if you get the sap on you, it is not the best, bit of an irritation, potentially blisters. 'So all in all, if you've got this stuff growing, be careful.' Both hemlock and its equally toxic cousin hemlock water-dropwort are members of the carrot family and so both cause a risk to anyone who attempts to eat them. All parts of Hemlock are acutely toxic and can harm people if they are eaten, breathed in or just touched. Symptoms include dilation of the pupils, dizziness, and trembling followed by slowing of the heartbeat, paralysis of the central nervous system, muscle paralysis, and death due to respiratory failure. They are so poisonous that dead canes remain toxic for up to three years, and people removing the plant have to wear gloves and take frequent breaks. Its' poisonous notoriety can be traced back through history - it was the plant that was given to the famous Greek philosopher Socrates at his execution. Last year, two pensioners in Milton Keynes were furious after the plant was left to grow nearly eight feet. Jean Crussell said she was forced to keep windows and doors closed and her dog shut inside. She added: 'They ignored our concerns for many months. The plant is known to be lethal and could have killed my dog and affected my health.' The tenant, 79, who lives alone with her Labradoodle called Taxi, explained: 'All the residents are naturally very worried as hemlock can be highly poisonous. There's pets and young kids living in the close of 20 homes. 'No one knows how the hemlock got here, it just self seeded and grew, and grew and grew! 'In the spring it was already six feet high.' Ms Crussell, who has lived on the close for 10 years, said the plant first started growing in the close of council homes two years ago after two new houses were added to the road. The authority was finally spurred into action eight months later and removed the deadly plants. Ms Crussell added: 'Two new properties were built two years ago on a former grassy area. It's a nice little close. 'But the hemlock took over! It was just inches from my front door and lounge window and towering up to the roof. 'It shouldn't be residents' responsibility to clear it. These are council homes, many of us are retired and we pay rent and for communal maintenance which went up this year. 'I was so cross I called my local paper, the MK Citizen and they ran an article on Monday. The next day the council finally came around to remove it. 'They whipped it out quite quickly while I was out. They came suited and booted and masked on Tuesday and thankfully got rid of it.
The Independent
17 minutes ago
- The Independent
New data lifts lid on extent of NHS surgical mistakes
Over 400 serious surgical mistakes, termed "never events', occurred in NHS hospitals between April 2024 and March 2025. The incidents encompassed 46 operations on the wrong body part and multiple cases where surgical instruments were left inside patients. One patient suffered permanent spinal cord damage after a surgeon mistakenly removed parts of her vertebrae instead of operating on her cervical rib. The Royal College of Surgeons has urged NHS hospitals to thoroughly investigate the increase in these incidents to prevent their recurrence. The NHS said that these incidents are rare but are investigated for learning and improvement.
Daily Mail
21 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
When I started balding in my teens I was so insecure. Then I discovered the hair-loss miracle men whisper about and it changed my life. No, it's NOT a transplant - you'll never guess my secret
Young men affected by hair loss are increasingly turning to a baldness solution that avoids both drugs and costly transplant surgery. Salons across the UK are offering so-called 'hair systems' – custom-made hairpieces bonded to the scalp and styled to blend seamlessly with existing hair.
