Alex’s Wish (UK registered charity number 1148845) was set-up by Emma & Andy Hallam, a family deeply affected by Duchenne. A family who understands first-hand the impact this condition has on their child. Emma and Andy’s son Alex was diagnosed shortly before his 4th birthday.
At that time, little help was given. They were told to take their child home and try and live the best lives they could. Only long-term steroids were prescribed, with a long list of negative side effects that would impact their son’s life forever. There was no cure and little hope of any new breakthroughs in medical treatments.
Since Alex’s diagnosis in 2010, Emma has led the way to making a tangible difference and has made it her mission to do whatever she can to make a difference for not only Alex, but everyone with Duchenne. Over the last 11 years, Emma has been working tirelessly on a voluntary basis, with her small team working alongside her, all enablers, and high achievers making a big difference.
Since Alex’s Wish was born, we’ve raised over £2 million. Everyone involved – our fabulous trustees, ambassadors, and supporters – all share our passion and enthusiasm to conquering Duchenne. This is what we pride ourselves on, spreading the word, sharing our journey living with Duchenne to inspire, educate and empower others to come on this journey with us.
Alex has also done his fair share too, taking part in clinical trials most of his young life to help further advance treatments that have led to successful outcomes.
Charities like ours fund half of all medical research in the UK – to the tune of £1.7 billion. Today, 1 in 4 people choose to support medical research charities like ours, and for this we are so incredibly grateful.