A mother raising money for life-saving treatment for her son is among thousands of runners taking part in this year’s Leeds 10K race later.
The event, which starts at 09:00 BST at University of Leeds and finishes in the city centre, has become one of the city’s biggest fundraising opportunities.
Jasmin Matharu’s son has an extremely rare genetic condition that causes disruption to the signals between nerve cells in the brain.
The funds raised from running the event will help Jasmin pay for treatment in the US that could potentially slow or alter the progression of the condition – a cause that “means everything”, she said.
Jasmin, 34, from Wakefield, said her “world stopped” when her son was diagnosed with TUBB4A-related leukodystrophy when he was eight months old.
Despite this, he continues to fight every day, she added, although she “does not know” what the future looks like.
She hopes to eventually raise £200,000 to cover hospital care costs at Rush University Medical Centre in Chicago throughout the two-year programme.
The family will have to relocate to Chicago, so she is “putting her best foot forward” with the run to raise awareness and donations, she said.
The Leeds 10K Run For All was set up by the Jane Tomlinson Appeal 15 years ago to raise money to improve the lives of people with cancer after its founder died of the disease in 2007. She was 43.
