The fact that I’ve been able to come here and study at one of the world’s top universities is living proof that the barriers of a disability can be broken down. It’s a life-limiting condition, but living with it is about making the most of things.
- Jonathan Gilmour
A Cambridge PhD student who has forged an outstanding academic career despite having a severe form of muscular dystrophy has become the spearhead of a fundraising bid to help others with the condition.
Jonathan Gilmour, who is 27, was first diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy when he was just seven years old. The condition causes the muscles to deteriorate over time, and at the moment cannot be cured. Jonathan has had to use a wheelchair since the age of 14, currently lives with a full-time carer, and has limited use of his arms which means that he needs support to perform basic tasks like dressing and eating.
Now, he and fellow students at St John’s College, Cambridge, have launched a fundraising drive to support the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign. Using Jonathan as its main ambassador, the aim is to raise as much money as possible for the charity, supporting its efforts both to improve the lives of people with the condition, and to undertake research which might eventually lead to a cure.
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Reproduced courtesy of the University of Cambridge
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