Honouring George and Finding Community
Remembering George one year on.
“If I’d never experienced George having Duchenne, I wouldn’t be half the person I am now. He taught me so much about life. I truly believe that boys with Duchenne are just the most awesome people in the world.”
On Sunday 26th April 2026, Louise Ruddick ran the London Marathon to raise money for Action Duchenne in honour of her younger brother, George, who lived with Duchenne. George died on 10th August 2025 and as 2026 came round, Louise knew she needed to do something to bring him into the new year with him.
“This is the only charity that I would run for because it directly benefits families who live with the reality of Duchenne every day”
Louise wanted to take on the challenge of the London Marathon, remembering talking about it with George. As she came across Action Duchenne while searching for a charity place, she had no idea that firing off a quick email to our Fundraising Officer would lead to such an unforgettable experience.
“It was an amazing experience. It’s probably up there with getting married and having my children!”
Louise has continued to stay in touch with us and planned to join us at the residential weekend for young people living with Duchenne at the Calvert Trust in the Lake District. While it was an emotional experience especially so close to the anniversary of George’s death, she was so pleased to be able to be there.
“I’m so glad I’ve come today because I know that the money I’ve helped raise is funding things like this, which is truly amazing. These lads and their families will remember this forever.”
While her family hadn’t heard of Action Duchenne during George’s lifetime, Louise can see just how much the support we offer would have helped.
“Action Duchenne would have been so beneficial for us all because I feel like if we’d had that from diagnosis we could all have been aware of what was available. And I would have loved it personally, as a sister, to be able to pick up the phone or email and say I’m really struggling.”
But that support and community is still very much there for Louise now and going forward. Running the marathon alongside two others running for Action Duchenne meant that Louise has been able to connect with people whose lives have also been shaped by Duchenne, and who understand things that others can’t.
“We’re all so different and running for different reasons but ultimately we weren’t because it was all the same. All of a sudden you’ve got this family that you never knew you had.”
Louise is now also in touch with Hayley, one of our Outreach Support Officers and becoming part of the Action Duchenne community has made a real difference to her in the year following George’s death.
“You know, some of the things that you guys have done for me in seven months, very few people have done for me.”
We are thinking of George, Louise and their family today and want to honour his life and everything he brought to those around him.
We also want to remind you that we are here to support you wherever you are in this journey, and that there is a unique kind of strength to be found in connecting with others who travel this journey.
Find out more about how we can support you and your family through our support groups. 1-1 support and in-person meet-ups here.
And if you’d like to make sure that no family faces this journey alone, you can help us to ensure that we can be there for EVERY family, EVERY time. Find out more about how you can become a Friend of Action Duchenne.
