A York dad has been recognised in the Community Pride Awards for his work to raise awareness of an extremely rare form of a life-limiting illness which his son has been diagnosed with.
Sid Gornall has been named Charity Fundraiser of the Year, sponsored by Delta Hotels by Marriot.
His son Bill was diagnosed with mitochondrial disease MELAS in 2020, a rare disorder that begins in childhood and mostly affects the nervous system and muscles.
It is a degenerative condition affecting the mitochondria in your cells which provide 90 per cent of the energy for them to perform properly. If the mitochondria are unable to produce energy for the cell it dies and the organ the cell is supporting can fail.
Sid has raised over £26,000 for the Lily Foundation, dedicated to MELAS. His fundraising has included running several marathons and half marathons.
“I felt it was my goal to raise awareness,” he said. “I just keep doing what I can to raise awareness.”
Sid passed on thanks from Bill to those at the awards.
After being named the winner, he said: “I feel really proud - a bit overwhelmed.
“It’s just about raising awareness of the condition and the people who battle it.”
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