The dad of Millwall mascot Harvey Brown will run his first-ever half marathon to raise awareness of the ultra-rare Morquio syndrome.
Harvey, ten, is among those affected by the genetic condition which affects skeletal growth, eyesight and hearing.
His dad, Dean, has decided to run the London Landmarks Half Marathon to give money to the MPS Society, which helps sufferers and families of those with MPS conditions, of which Morquio is one.
He will be undertaking the gruelling feat with fellow Millwall fan Steve Rendell – who last year ran the half-marathon in Harvey’s name.
“Morquio is quite a rare condition,” explained Dean, who lives with his family in Bermondsey.
“So hopefully it’ll raise awareness. That’s why I’ve done it, to give something back to the charity.
“The day we got the diagnosis, our world fell apart. But the MPS Society were amazing, it’s such an important charity.”
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Pals Dean and Steve have set themselves a £2,000 target to raise by March 29 and have so far raised nearly £500.
The organisers of the marathon have even let Dean and Steve choose their own numbers to run the race.
“I’ve picked 10209 because that’s Harvey’s date of birth,” he said. “It’s really good of them. And Steve’s picked 1885 because of Millwall.
“I decided to do it because Steve did it for Harvey last year, and at the time although he wasn’t a total stranger, he was a bit of a stranger.
“And I just thought if Steve can do it I can do it as well. I’m a bit nervous because I’ve never done one before, but it helps that I’m doing one with him.”
Money raised will go towards research into conditions like Morquio, which could help children like Harvey to not need weekly treatments.
The Millwall-mad youngster is well-known by Lions fans, after being a mascot for the team at Wembley stadium.
If you wish to donate to Dean’s fundraiser, you can find it here.