By XAVIER SMERDON
A WYNDHAM family with a passion for sports and helping their wider community are coming together to help raise money to fight a debilitating disease.
The Wattelet family, consisting of brothers Sebastien, Stephan and Jerome and their father Alain, will be running 21 kilometres when they take part in the Melbourne Marathon Festival.
The marathon will help raise money for research into Multiple Sclerosis.
The family was inspired to put their collective effort into fundraising for the marathon after a close family member was diagnosed with MS.
“It’s just amazing how many people don’t even know what MS is,” Sebastien said.
“So we’re hoping that by doing this we’ll help increase the awareness of it.
“We were not even really aware of it until our family member was diagnosed, so now that it’s really close to home it has brought the family together.”
The family has set a fundraising goal of $1000, with local politician and friend Andrew Elsbury already donating $250 out of his own pocket.
The Medibank Melbourne Marathon Festival will be held on Sunday 12 October with participants able to choose to do a 10 kilometre run, five kilometre run or a three kilometre walk.
The Wattelet family however has chosen to push their love of sport to the limit by running the maximum distance of 21 kilometres.
The run will be held on the streets of Melbourne and will finish at the MCG.
For more information on how to donate to the Wattelet family’s cause visit melbournemarathon2013.gofundraise.com.au/page/watteletchallenge
