Muscle disease boy lines out for marathon

A BOY battling an incurable disease is to receive a hero’s welcome when he lines out for tomorrow’s Dublin Marathon.

Archie Naughton, 12, has Duchenne’s Muscular Dystrophy but that won’t stop him and his supporters taking on the 26.2-mile challenge.

And there’ll be no prouder supporters of Team Archie than his identical twin brothers George and Isaac, eight, who are also battling the same terminal illness.

Parents Paula and Padraic, who live in Co Roscommon, set up the Join Our Boys trust to ensure their sons have the best possible life they can give them and to lobby for a treatment and a possible cure.

Paula said: “Every day is precious. George and Isaac are at a stage where they have to crawl up the stairs of our house. They are very weak and they fall a lot.

“It’s heartbreaking. Isaac, like Archie, loves sport but he gets upset because he can’t do the things the other boys can at school.

“Archie is different in that he’s stronger than the twins.

“But since August Archie has been in a wheelchair full-time.”

CHALLENGES

Despite the challenges Archie faces, he is undaunted by the race, in which he will be pushed along the course in a special wheelchair.

Having taken part in last year’s event he knows what to expect and “is so excited, he can barely sleep”.

As well as raising money and awareness of the illness, which leads to premature deaths in the late teens or early 20s, Paula said the family will cherish the race.

She added: “The marathon last year was my second favourite memory of all time after having my children. It was very, very special.

“The other runners were so kind and respectful to Archie and he felt he was one of them.

“I have to remain as positive as I can. Of course there are really hard days. I’m also frustrated by the lack of services and access to drugs.

“But my dream is there’ll be a cure found and my hope is we can find a treatment for our children.” ■ For more details and to make a donation, visit joinourboys.org.