Drysdale father Cameron Young will run a solo marathon on Saturday, February 18 while pushing his one-year-old son Iggy to raise funds for Kids+.
Iggy and his twin brother Vance were born premature at 28+3 weeks, and shortly after Iggy was diagnosed with periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) and later cerebral palsy.
Cameron and his wife Olivia were referred to Kids+ and entered its Parent Infant Program (PIP), which supports parents and families after they receive these types of diagnoses.
Cameron said Kids+ had provided amazing support during the first year after the twins arrived.
“It was difficult, I’m not going to lie; our daughter was only 18 months old when they were born, so it was a pretty crazy time,” he said.
“It’s hard to put into words, but we class Kids+ as nearly another family member. They were incredible.
“Their whole team and organisation are so approachable. They were always thinking of Iggy and our family and how to give him the best opportunity.”
The fundraising run, dubbed Pushing for Purpose, will take Cameron from the Young’s family home in Drysdale to the Geelong Showground via the Bellarine Rail Trail then back to the finish line at the Drysdale netball courts.
Cameron said he was inspired after finding the story of Richard Hoyt who ran marathons with his son in the 1990s and 2000s.
“I said to myself, I’d love to do that one day,” he said.
“Then I thought I could run a marathon and also try to raise some funds and awareness for Kids+, because a lot of people don’t know about them and what they do.
“Their early intervention treatments are so important to kids with disabilities. They try to give some pathways for the kids to get the true potential out of what they can achieve.”
He said he was overwhelmed by the support the community had shown already.
“I’m a bit nervous about the run, but it’s exciting because of the great community we have in Geelong,” Cameron said.
“The support and generosity that is being shown makes you really glad to live here in Geelong, where everyone is willing to help out.”
To donate or find out more about Cameron’s run, go to www.pushingforpurpose.com.au.
