A YOUTH worker whose son has Becker muscular dystrophy has signed up to do the Great North Run in September.

It came as a complete shock to Keith Robson, 34, from Norton-on-Tees, and his wife Michelle, when they received Henry’s diagnosis. They are still processing the devastating news. To help come to terms with it, Mr Robson decided to focus his energies on something positive, that would benefit Henry in the future.

So he signed up for his first Great North Run (GNR) and he is feeling incredibly good about the run.

He said: “The GNR is an iconic race and we live just 35 miles away from Newcastle, so of all the events available to take part in, this one was the most logical. I’m hoping the event will go ahead in September as planned. But even if the event can’t go ahead in Newcastle, I will still enjoy running the 13 miles. It will be good just to be more than seven miles from my house!”

Mr Robson’s good friend Lee Curtis-Marshall, colleague Paul Costello and family friend Neil Sharpe are all joining him and running for MDUK.

As a youth worker, Mr Robson works with at-risk children and young people in Middlesbrough, who are vulnerable to criminal exploitation. He uses sport as a means of building young people’s confidence and self-esteem and as way of introducing protective factors into their lives. He has also been helping to organise emergency food parcels to Middlesbrough families in crisis during the pandemic.

With his run, Keith is hoping to raise as much money as possible to go towards funding vital research into muscular dystrophy, and in particular Becker muscular dystrophy.

He is also hoping to raise awareness of the condition, which was not something he, or anyone he knew, had ever heard of: “Even our GP had to look up the specifics. Therefore, it is vitally important that people know there are boys and men like Henry out there.”

Kiera Santry, Challenge Events Officer at MDUK said: “We are incredibly grateful to Keith for supporting us with his first GNR. It is so impressive to see a family launch themselves into positive activities to raise awareness and funds for muscular dystrophy. We will be cheering him on at an event which as he says, will hopefully have an incredible post-Covid atmosphere.”

Donate: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/for-henry-mduk.