00:00When the Christmas lights turn on, the festivities really get going.
00:04Streets are decked out with decorations and even Santa's elves are up past their bedtime.
00:09A family in Gillingham is using the festive period to give back,
00:13raising money through various Christmas activities.
00:16Pulling it off takes the whole family, with months of planning behind the scenes.
00:21They store a lot of this in garages, believe it or not,
00:24and it takes them over a month, I believe, to do this display.
00:30But it's a good reason why they do it, because of her son.
00:34Now you're right, I'm not just helping her little child,
00:38I'm helping millions of children out there with the same problem.
00:41A member of the family who helps with the event every year
00:44has a son who is diagnosed with muscular dystrophy,
00:47which is a condition marked by progressive weakening and wasting of the muscles,
00:52including the heart and the lungs.
00:54My son got diagnosed with muscular dystrophy last year,
01:00so yeah, it's a bit of a shock to the family,
01:02so that's why we raise money for them.
01:05This charity has supported us a lot through his whole diagnosis,
01:11and so yeah, it's an important charity to us.
01:15Muscular Dystrophy UK provides support and information for people with the disease
01:20and other muscle-wasting conditions.
01:23There's actually more than 60 types of muscular dystrophy,
01:26not just a singular condition,
01:29Duchenne being one of the most common, mainly affected for young boys.
01:34It's very hard to diagnose,
01:37and there's limited support for families suffering with the condition,
01:42which is kind of where we step in.
01:47We've currently put £2 million in 30 new studies this year.
01:53We're funding around 51 research projects,
01:56so we're really trying to push early diagnosis, support for the families.
02:02You know, the NHS is very over-encumbered,
02:06so it's very difficult to get those early diagnoses.
02:11And so it seems the greatest gift this year is hope.
02:16Maisie Walker for KMTV, Gillingham.
02:19www.kMTV.com
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