CMT Fundraiser
Teens Tri for CMT.
Lachie McNamee is a lively 14-year old in Grade 9 at Toowoomba Grammar School. With a family history of CMT, Lachie was diagnosed with the disease a couple of years ago, but only his closest friends knew.
Last year he started tripping a lot at school, particularly going up and down stairs, due to foot drop. He was advised to wear AFOs/leg braces to help with this. Initially he hated this idea because it meant everyone would know there was “something wrong with him” but he also knew it would be better than tripping all the time. He was talking to his friends Hugh and Katie about being embarrassed having to wear the AFOs and the fact that everyone would be asking why he had to wear them. They all decided that if he let everyone know up front, people wouldn’t keep asking what they were for.
Then they had a great idea.
What if they did an event and raised money for CMT research at the same time?
This way the message would get out as to why Lachie was wearing braces, but would do so with a positive message. So with support of their families, Lachie (far right in photo), Hugh and Katie entered the Noosa Triathlon held in November 2019. They chose the team name ‘Teens Tri for CMT’ and Lachie opted for the cycling leg which was 40km; the trouble is he had only ever cycled up to 15km before. Undeterred he dedicated himself to training in preparation for the day.
CMT Australia organised a Crowd Raiser specifically for the event through its ‘GiveNow’ connection. GiveNow is an enterprise supported by ‘Our Community Group’ which provides support services to Australia’s not-for-profits and schools.
Sharing the GiveNow Crowd Raiser link on social media was a great way to spread the message quickly.
Lachie’s school contacted the team about sharing it on their social media pages. The kids were blown away by the support they got and it certainly had the right effect of spreading the news about why Lachie was suddenly wearing leg braces.
Lachie’s Mum Angela said “It’s amazing how many people have told me they’ve now looked up Charcot-Marie Tooth and understand what it is, so it also had a positive effect in raising awareness of CMT.”
The ‘Teens Tri for CMT’ team raised a phenomenal $10,375 for research in Australia.
Lachie, you are an inspiration to the other members of your CMT Family!
