Nathan Completes His Big Ride

A few weeks ago we brought you the story of Nathan McDowell, as he prepared to ride from Noosa to Redcliffe.

• Nathan’s Big Ride – Raising Awareness of Rare Genetic Condition

Nathan was riding to raise funds and awareness for Pelizaeus-Merzbacher Disease (PMD), which is a rare type of leukodystrophy that affects the nervous system (predominantly in males) and results in impairment to movement and coordination, muscle spasms, delays in developmental milestones, loss of motor abilities and the progressive deterioration of intellectual function.

There are two types of PMD with the more severe type being evident from birth, and resulting in a life expectancy ranging from a few years to the mid-teens.  Nathan is one of the few people in the world who have battled the condition and lived into their thirties.

Nathan had set a goal to undertake a long distance ride, not only as a fundraising opportunity, but as a life challenge.  Earlier this week arrived to a hero’s reception at Suttons Beach in Redcliffe after he rode his hand cycle along the Sunshine Coast from Noosa.

Check out the video below for some of the highlights of Nathan’s Big Ride.  A big thanks to Holistic Horizons and Walk A Mile Media for production of the video.

If you’d like to support Nathan in his fundraising work, his GoFundMe page is still active.