Kane to leave legacy for nephew

THE STRENGTH OF FAMILY… Local resident and Rumbalara Football Club coach, Kane Atkinson is taking on the Run Melbourne event at the end of this month to raise awareness for the debilitating condition, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, which his nephew, Kyzaiha was diagnosed with at 18 months of age. Photo: Alicia Niglia.
THE STRENGTH OF FAMILY… Local resident and Rumbalara Football Club coach, Kane Atkinson is taking on the Run Melbourne event at the end of this month to raise awareness for the debilitating condition, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, which his nephew, Kyzaiha was diagnosed with at 18 months of age. Photo: Alicia Niglia.
THE STRENGTH OF FAMILY… Local resident and Rumbalara Football Club coach, Kane Atkinson is taking on the Run Melbourne event at the end of this month to raise awareness for the debilitating condition, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, which his nephew, Kyzaiha was diagnosed with at 18 months of age. Photo: Alicia Niglia.
THE STRENGTH OF FAMILY… Local resident and Rumbalara Football Club coach, Kane Atkinson is taking on the Run Melbourne event at the end of this month to raise awareness for the debilitating condition, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, which his nephew, Kyzaiha was diagnosed with at 18 months of age. Photo: Alicia Niglia.

WATCHING a loved one go through any type of sickness is hard at the best of times, but imagine having to watch your nephew rapidly lose the ability to walk and breathe. This is exactly why local resident and Rumbalara Football Club coach, Kane Atkinson has decided to take on the Run Melbourne 10km challenge on July 29, which he hopes will help to raise funds and more importantly awareness for his nephew, Kyzaiha’s condition, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Diagnosed at 18 months old, Kyzaiha has over the last 10 years lost the ability to walk at the age of eight and is now confined to an electric wheelchair, which has been the driving factor behind Kane’s decision to take on the Run Melbourne event, which will be his second time.

Kane said, “A couple of years ago Kyzaiha was walking and running like every other kid. He is now 10 years old and wheelchair bound. He will never walk again.  Soon he will need to be on oxygen to help him breathe.

“Kyzaiha has a pretty rapid case and it’s hard to watch, but you have to live in the moment and be happy and do what you can to help make his life more enjoyable.

“Kyzaiha means the world to me so if I can raise awareness for Kyzaiha and many other young boys suffering from Duchenne it would be an amazing feeling. He brings a lot of joy into my life and I’ll do everything I can to leave a legacy for him. Feel free to donate to my pager the money will go to Muscular Dystrophy Australia.

“The Run Melbourne event is all about trying to raise awareness for Duchenne and so far I’ve received $1,500 in donations which is amazing.

“I’d like to thank everyone in the community for their support. It has been overwhelming.”

Muscular Dystrophy (MD) is a progressive muscle destroyer disorder. Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is the most common muscle disorder of childhood. Kids are confined to a wheelchair by the age of 10. From then it gets worse every day until they need a breathing machine.

You can help Kane by donating at runmelbourne2018.everydayhero.com/au/run-for-kyzaiha