A Chislehurst dad is taking on the London Marathon to help raise funds for a schoolfriend’s child who has a rare genetic condition.

Arthur Morgan, aged 4, who lives in Biggin Hill with his parents Reece and Rosie, was the first baby in the UK to have the most expensive drug in the world, Zolgensma.

He was treated with the £1.8m single dose of gene therapy by the NHS at the Evelina Hospital in London last year after being diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) five months after birth.

Without the drug, babies with Type 1 SMA experience difficulty breathing, progressive loss of movement, and have a life expectancy of just two years.

Estate agent Lewis James, 37, was at school with Reece and he, his wife Samantha and daughter Thea, 6, are close friends of the Morgan family. Lewis said:

“I’ve always enjoyed running, but I’ve this will be my first marathon. Training is so far going well and I’m up to about 16 miles – in many ways the running is the easy part, it’s the recovery in between runs which is more difficult!”

“I was delighted to win a place in the ballot and knew straight away that I wanted to use the race to raise funds for Tree of Hope and for Arthur. I’ve set myself a target of £2500 and am about halfway there – each and every donation is hugely appreciated.”

Arthur’s aunt Georgie Morgan, 36, from Beckenham said: “We’re all so proud of how far Arthur has come.”

“Money raised will help fund items physical therapies and a specialised car seat which supports his head and costs thousands. So we’re extremely grateful to Lewis for taking on this challenge and to everyone else who has supported Arthur and our fundraising.”

Arthurs’s family is being supported by children’s charity Tree of Hope which helps families fundraise for children like Arthur with healthcare needs where the NHS cannot, and provides charity status to benefit from gift aid, corporate support while also providing donor reassurance.

Tree of Hope CEO Becky Andrew said: “We wish Lewis all the best with his challenge! It’s great to see that Arthur’s family have so many people behind them. We are pleased to be supporting them to in reaching their fundraising goals.”

To sponsor Lewis or to donate to Arthur’s fund, visit https://www.treeofhope.org.uk/arthur-morgan/ or https://www.justgiving.com/page/lewis-james-1732438248946