Terry makes it seven
Marathon runner Dr Terry Diamond has completed his mission to run seven marathons in seven days to raise funds for a rare disease.
The last 100m
Pnina Kraus and Dr Terry Diamond
22-yr-old Pnina Kraus was amongst the large crowd gathered at Bondi Beach to welcome the associate professor of Endocrinology and Metabolic Bone Disease as he completed his project.
Kraus is suffering from Retinitis Pigmentosa and is now 95% blind from a disease which she has been suffering from since the age of four. There is no cure.
Dr Diamond, 56, told J-Wire: “Now I hope the government will come to our aid financially to help fund the research to cure this terrible disease.”
Also waiting for Dr Diamond at the beach were Antoinette O’Sullivan and Maryanne Mason. Dr Diamond told J-Wire: “Antoinettete runs an Osteoporosis Support group for me at St George Hospital where I work. She and Maryananne, who is her sister-in-law, were my support group during the runs. They were with me from making breakfast before our 4a.m. start until the end of a very long day. ” He said that the drives from their location to the start of the run added to the effort.
Antoinette O
He said that the girls cooked his meals, help plan the routes so they complied with the 42.2km marathon distance and drove behind him throughout the entire journey. “I could not have done it without them”, he added.
In Canberra , Dr Diamond was joined in his run by Olympian Sue Hobson and athletes from the Institute of Sport.
His runs took him past many Australian iconic spots…the city beaches in Perth between Fremantle and Cottesloe, Parliament House in Canberra, Uluru and the rock itself, the tourist highlight of the Great Ocean Road in Victoria and the beaches of the Gold Coast. In Sydney, he ran his last leg from Manly to Bondi.
Terry Diamond told J-Wire: “I have been aware of Pnina’s plight for a long time. She is the daughter of my best friend. Seeing Pnina waiting for him at Bondi was “very emotive”.
To date, the campaign to raise funds has produced $61,000 in cash and $40,000 in pledges. Professor Terry Diamond has paid for all costs including flights for himself and his support group from his own pocket.
He told: J-Wire: “I hope to meet up with Health Minister Tanya Plibersek to try and get additional funding from the Government.”
The funds will be directed to Professor Greg Dusting at the University of Melbourne who carries out stem cell projects at CERA, the Centre for Eye Research Australia.
Diamond, who started his marathon career in 1980, said 1 in 3,000 births produced a baby who would experience Retinitis Pigmentosa.
To contribute to the campaign, visit www.eyeconrun.com
