9:23am Sunday 3rd June 2007
by Francis Andrews.
Cyclists in Hendon braved torrential rain on Sunday to raise money for research into a rare muscular condition and support a five-year-old boy who suffers from the disease.
The 75km ride was organised by the Gavriel Meir Trust, set up to fund research into the degenerative condition known as Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
Parents Kerry and Doron Rosenfeld, of Egerton Gardens, Hendon, established the trust because their son, Gavriel, suffers from the condition.
Although only founded three weeks before the ride, the charity's first fundraising event mustered more than £200,000, with 35 cyclists taking part.
Mrs Rosenfeld said: "We are extremely happy with the money raised, but it is only a fraction of what is needed."
The family is working with a panel of neuro-muscular experts who are reviewing research into the condition. They will then determine how much money is needed to take the research forward.
Duchenne muscular dystrophy primarily targets the legs and pelvis, and is usually diagnosed in children before the age of six. It is a muscle-wasting disease that eventually spreads to the whole of the body, and sufferers rarely live beyond 30.
Mrs Rosenfeld said: "We are in a race against time and we have to support and push the medical world to increase their efforts to find a cure for Gavriel and thousands of others like him before it is too late."
Cyclists started at 6.30am from The New Hendon Beis Hamedrash (study centre), in Prestige Way, and returned at 2pm. Among those battling against the appalling weather conditions was 55-year-old Rabbi Alan Kimche, of Ner Yisrael Synagogue.
Mrs Rosenfeld added: "I was overwhelmed by the sheer perseverance and camaraderie shown during the rain and freezing cold. A lot of people were quite emotional."
Donations to the Gavriel Meir Trust can be made at www.justgiving.com/doronrosenfeld or email kerryr@toucansurf.com for more information.
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