Team Cameron take challenge in their stride and get a warm welcome back in Shotts
A group from Shotts took on the 23-mile long Mighty Stride at the Glasgow Kiltwalk to raise money for a four-year-old boy recently diagnosed with a serious genetic condition.
The 45-strong Team Cameron were led by his mum Natalie, a school teacher at Larkhall Academy, with his dad Mark also taking on the challenge. They set off from The Marbles Club in Shotts early on Sunday morning by coach before taking on the walking challenge that finishes in Balloch on the banks of Loch Lomond.
The couple were told in September last year that their son Cameron has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), a rare condition which worsens over time, leading to weakness and wasting away of the body's muscles.
Given the diagnosis at the age of three, Cameron is one of the youngest people in Scotland with the muscle-wasting disease that ultimately leads to disability and a shorter life span.
Currently, the life expectancy of someone with DMD is around 30 years.
The youngster has physio every night and wears splints to bed. He is set to start school this year and at the moment is thriving in every way, reaching every expected milestone, but his mum and dad are fully aware that will change.
Natalie and Mark were told by specialists that the prognosis for young people with DMD is much more positive now compared to a decade or so ago. There are groundbreaking research trials for treatment and gene therapy but that can come at a huge cost.
The couple admit they don't know what lies ahead for Cameron but he is going to need a wheelchair, as by mid to late teens he will be fully dependent on it, and they will need to convert their garage into a downstairs room.
They also want to be prepared if they need to travel to London or America to see Duchenne Specialists.
The aim was to raise £20,000 and they are not far short of the mark now. Cameron was there to meet the walkers when they returned to Shotts.
Natalie said: 'All 45 members of the team made it across the finishing line with granny Jacqueline strutting ahead and finishing first. It took us about seven or eight hours depending on how many pit stops we each took.
'There isn't a part of my body that isn't aching but it was for Cameron and his wee face when we came off the bus at the end of the day was priceless. He danced along to the 'Wee Shotts Piper' and gave out goodie bags to the team.
'It also looks like we will be reaching our target of £20k. Amazing effort by all.
'Whenever we have our rough days, we will always remember the Glasgow Kiltwalk 2025 and the support and donations we received for Cameron.
'We hope that one day Cameron will take part in one of the family Kiltwalk routes himself with his little sister Jessica by his side.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Daily Mirror
'I was told boys are lazy, but I knew something was wrong with my baby'
Jo Phillips, 41, became concerned when her son Henry wasn't hitting his milestones A mother's instincts saved her son's life after medics dismissed her worries by saying "boys are just lazy". Jo Phillips, 41, grew concerned when her lad Henry, now nine, wasn't reaching key milestones - like rolling over or crawling. However, when she voiced her fears to healthcare experts at nine months old, she claims she was brushed aside and told "boys are just lazy" and she "wasn't doing enough to encourage his development". Following her intuition, Jo began investigating herself and spotted that Henry's liver enzyme levels were elevated at birth and at three months old. The family was transferred to a different medical team and Jo's worries were treated seriously. Genetic tests revealed he had Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) at 14 months old. The uncommon muscle-wasting illness triggers gradual muscle weakness, which has no treatment, and Henry lost his capacity to walk last year and now relies on a wheelchair. Jo, a full-time carer for Henry, from Brampton, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, said: "One health visitor told me 'boys are just lazy'. Another said I wasn't doing enough to encourage his development. "It wasn't said to be unkind. They were just trying to reassure me. But I knew something wasn't right and I had to keep pushing. "Having my concerns dismissed left me feeling completely unheard. It was as if my worries didn't matter and I was being brushed off as that overly anxious mother. I felt judged and hopeless." Jo also noticed Henry wasn't pushing up on his arms and had shed considerable weight by the time he reached nine months old. When she was reassured there was nothing to worry about, Jo began conducting her own research. She said: "I just had this gut feeling. I couldn't stop researching and I was terrified by what I was finding. I think deep down, I already knew." She trawled through Henry's medical records and discovered he had elevated enzyme levels at birth and at three months old. Jo said: "No one had followed up on those results. It left me questioning why these signs weren't investigated by the professionals who were supposed to be monitoring his health." In 2016, Jo's husband Rob, 45, was stationed with a new army regiment in Colchester and the family were assigned to a different medical team. This time, Jo's worries were finally taken seriously. She said: "The GP was incredible. She listened to me instead of writing me off as 'that mother'. She ran blood tests straight away." A blood test revealed Henry had dramatically elevated creatine kinase (CK) levels, and genetic testing confirmed he had Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). He was formally diagnosed in April 2017, aged 14 months. Additional genetic analysis showed Henry has an in-frame deletion from exons 3 to 44 in the dystrophin gene. He was also diagnosed with severe autism at 24 months and remains non-verbal at age nine. Jo said: "We were told there's no treatment, no cure. Just physio and OT to manage things. I held him in my arms and cried. It was devastating." Despite everything, Henry is full of life. Jo described him as a "mischievous, easy-going" lad who's happiest outdoors, particularly at his forest school. "He's in his element out there," she said. "He wants to pick up sticks, explore the woods, throw things into the lake. He's never stopped wanting to do the things little boys should do." Henry received his first wheelchair at age three. His mobility has since gradually deteriorated, and just before last Christmas, he lost the ability to walk altogether. Jo said: "It was sudden. One day he was managing short distances, from the living room to the car and then he just couldn't anymore." Henry now depends on a manual wheelchair full time, but it restricts his independence, especially outdoors. The family is currently fundraising for an all-terrain powered chair so he can regain some of the freedom he's lost. Jo said: "The world's starting to close in on him and that's heartbreaking. He just wants to be a kid in the woods." Jo, who previously worked as a soft tissue therapist, has now had to abandon her career due to Henry's complex care needs. He stopped attending school in September 2023 due to anxiety and noise sensitivities, and has been unable to return since. She said: "I'm his mum, carer, teacher and friend right now. Because of the nature of my job, I couldn't treat clients while homeschooling and looking after Henry full-time." The family resides in MOD housing in Brampton due to Rob's role in the army. A significant figure in Henry's journey has been his elder sister, Georgie Phillips, who is 10 years old now, whom Jo describes as "his best friend". She said: "She plays with him in a way he can join in, she makes him laugh, she never complains. She's central to his world." Jo admits that the diagnosis has reshaped every aspect of their lives, but she's resolved to provide Henry with as much happiness as possible. She said: "He's so happy. He really is. And as long as he's laughing, I know we're doing something right." Now, she aims to raise awareness about DMD and inspire other parents not to surrender if they feel overlooked. She advised: "You know your child better than anyone. If something doesn't feel right, keep going back. Ask again. Push harder. Because someone will listen and it can make all the difference."
Daily Mirror
24-07-2025
- Daily Mirror
Mum's desperate plea as son, 7, diagnosed with rare muscle-wasting disease
Evan Winter was diagnosed him with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) earlier this year which only around 2,500 people have in the UK - his family are now raisng funds to build a safer future for their son A seven-year-old boy has been diagnosed with a rare muscle-wasting disease after getting severe leg cramp at a birthday party. Evan Winter was slow to progress as a baby and did not walk until 20 months old and was clumsy. His mum, Laura Winter, 31, thought he was just "a little bit lazy" and his toe-walking was related to his autism diagnosis. In February 2025, Evan developed severe leg cramp at a laser tag party and when he was still limping the next morning his parents rushed him to the GP who diagnosed him with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). The genetic condition causes progressive muscle degeneration and typically leaves children fully reliant on a wheelchair and round-the-clock care by their early teens. Evan's family are desperate to raise funds to build a new purpose built home that is safe for him. Laura, a disclosure risk assessor at Kent police, from Maidstone, Kent, said: 'He was very delayed as a toddler, so when he did start walking he would complain constantly 'my legs hurt, my legs hurt'. 'He would say 'carry me, carry me' but we thought he was just being a typical toddler. But we were always told it was because he's autistic - that toe-walking and tiredness were just part of that.' She added: 'Every time we mentioned the cramps or his walking they just said autistic children often walk on their toes or he was just cautious. We had no idea what DMD even was. We had never heard of it.' Laura said: 'It was a complete shock. Even though we had a few weeks to process it, I think there was still hope that it could be something else. I remember asking our GP afterwards, 'Did you think it was this?' She said no, she thought it might have been a vitamin D or calcium deficiency. She'd been a doctor for 30 years and had only ever seen one DMD patient." Since the diagnosis, Evan's world has changed dramatically. He now uses a wheelchair for longer trips and is about to begin steroid treatment in an effort to slow the condition's progression. She said: 'He said, 'I think it's Duchenne. I might be wrong, but I don't think I am.' We still had to wait for a formal diagnosis, but I think we knew by then.' The family received the official diagnosis of DMD, after Evan had received blood tests, on March 25, 2025. Laura said: 'It was a complete shock. Even though we had a few weeks to process it, I think there was still hope that it could be something else. 'I remember asking our GP afterwards, 'Did you think it was this?' She said no, she thought it might have been a vitamin D or calcium deficiency. She'd been a doctor for 30 years and had only ever seen one DMD patient.' Since the diagnosis, Evan's world has changed dramatically. He now uses a wheelchair for longer trips and is about to begin steroid treatment in an effort to slow the condition's progression. More than £1,000 has already been raised through their GoFundMe page and the family hopes this will be the start of building a safer future for Evan. Laura wrote: 'We never imagined we'd have to ask for help like this. But we will try with everything we have to give Evan a safe and comfortable home, where he can have the best childhood, we can give him.'
Daily Mail
23-07-2025
- Daily Mail
My son got a cramp in his leg while playing laser tag at a birthday party... the cause has broken our hearts
A family's life 'completely changed' when they discovered their beloved seven-year-old son's cramps - a symptom of a rare genetic disease - had been misdiagnosed as autism for three and a half years. Little Evan, who lives in Maidstone, Kent, was only told he had the debilitating condition on February 8 this year after going to a laser tag birthday party with friends. Within 15 minutes his calf muscle went into a cramp rendering him unable to join in - but his mother Laura Winter said this time it was much worse than the leg cramps he had experienced up to then. Ms Winter took her son to the GP and he was referred for a blood test leading the family to receive a call saying Evan needed to be taken urgently to A&E. Following further tests a doctor told the family he believed Evan had a condition called Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) - a severe inherited disease that typically begins at age four and progresses rapidly, causing muscle loss and resulting in difficulties standing up. The family is now raising money through a GoFundMe page to try to offer young Evan a 'normal' life. Speaking to MailOnline, Ms Winter said: 'Evan would sometimes say he hated walking and it was thought to be a result of his autism because he was on his tiptoes a lot. 'He holds himself really rigid and is quite tense which was seen as another symptom.' Ms Winter explained the severe cramp at a birthday party occurred just days before Evan's seventh birthday. Ms Winter was shocked to discover she had passed on the faulty DMD gene to her son as she was not aware of any family history involving the condition She said herself and her husband held hands 'very tightly' when receiving news of the diagnosis and it was a 'very quiet drive home'. Ms Winter added: 'Sometimes it feels like we're just living in a parallel universe and it will all just end soon. 'If our little boy had had a blood test following his first appointment with the community pediatrics team three and a half years ago we'd have known a lot earlier.' The doting mother described her son as 'hilarious' and 'such a funny little boy'. She added: 'He absolutely loves dinosaurs and the Jurassic world. He's so funny and sweet and loving - he's very well loved by everyone who meets him. Everyone he meets he just fills with dinosaur fact after dinosaur fact.' Ms Winter was shocked to discover she had passed on the faulty DMD gene to her son as she was not aware of any family history involving the condition. She said: 'Until recently, we were a "normal" family, living a simple but "normal" life with our two beautiful children, Amelie and Evan. We felt blessed beyond belief to have two happy and healthy children.' The family are now trying to raise money to help Evan with his condition saying they are 'embarrassed' at having to turn to their friends, family and the public for help. A GoFundMe page organised by Ms Winter reads: 'As Evan reaches his teenage years and early adulthood, he will become fully reliant on us for absolutely everything as the degeneration in his muscle accelerates. 'The caveat, we can't afford a home that can be made suitable, despite being a two working parent household, with local prices of properties that could be adapted marketing for between £500-600,000. 'We can't increase our working hours and miss precious time with our boy. We can't move to a cheaper area as we have our support networks, friends, children's school and medical teams locally. We are essentially stuck in a system that is broken and cannot offer any assistance. 'We can't save our beautiful little boy from this awful, horrendous disease but we will try with everything we have to give him a safe and comfortable home, where he can have the best childhood we can give him.' Ms Winter told MailOnline Evan's symptoms had 'never been signifcant enough to put into Google' and she believed there should be more awareness around DMD. 'If parents feel like there's something not quite right - trust your gut, push harder,' she concluded.
