DP Medical’s commercial director, Owen Pemberton, has completed his first ever triathlon in aid of a charity that has provided a wealth of support to his family.
Owen took on the sporting challenge at Dorney Lakes in Buckinghamshire to raise funds for The Schinzel-Giedion Syndrome Foundation.
Owen’s nephew Jude is one of only 50 children in the world with Schinzel-Giedion Sydrome (SGS), an ultra-rare life-limiting neurodegenerative condition that means he cannot walk, talk or eat as a normal child would. He has daily seizures and is fed via a feeding tube, battling many problems daily in order to live a comfortable life.
Owen, who took on the challenge as part of a team raising money to celebrate Jude’s third birthday, said: “July marks Jude’s third birthday - a huge milestone because children with SGS are not expected to live beyond infancy.
“To celebrate, we came up with the “July For Jude” challenge to run/cycle/skip/jump/swim 1 mile every day in July. It’s not about the distance. It’s about the unrelenting commitment to doing something difficult every single day - which reflects the huge responsibility a parent must undertake when caring for a seriously disabled child with SGS.
“Taking on the triathlon was part of the July for Jude activity and, despite having no experience of ever competing in multi-disciplinary sporting events, I’m proud to say I completed the 750m swim, 20km bike ride and 5km run – and even beat my target time by almost ten minutes!
“All money donated will be used by The SGS Foundation to support children with SGS and their families by ensuring they are connected and have the knowledge and information they need to make empowered decisions about their child’s care.”
The SGS Foundation exists to provide support for families caring for a child with SGS, to raise awareness of SGS and to facilitate and support medical research.
For further information about the charity, visit www.sgsfoundation.org.
You can support Owen and his family’s fundraising for the SGS Foundation by donating here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/owens1sttriathlon