Dad completes triathlon for his ‘little warrior’ son

A MAN took part in the Wargrave Sprint triathlon to raise money for the charity which helps his disabled son.

Howard Cooke completed a 750m swim in the Thames, a 5km run and a 20km bike ride at the event, which was part of the village festival.

He was raising money for the Perthes Association, which has supported his seven-year-old son James, who was diagnosed with Perthes Disease two years ago.

The disease is a childhood condition which affects the head of the femur and occurs when blood flow is restricted, causing the bones to soften and eventually break down.

Mr Cooke, 47, who lives on Purfield Drive, Wargrave, with his wife Louise and James, raised £1,226.

He said: “James started limping one day, out of the blue, in May 2017.

“We noticed it when his right foot was going in the wrong direction, although he wasn’t suffering any major pain.

“We went to the hospital a number of times and they said it could have been due to a virus but it just got worse over time. It was very difficult for James to run freely. We were very anxious for ourselves but mainly for James because we didn’t know what was going on. We started to do some research online and managed to find out more.”

James was formally diagnosed in October 2017 after having an MRI scan.

Mr Cooke, who is head of service management at Yell in Reading, said: “This was a massive shock to me and my wifeand of course our gorgeous son.

“All kinds of stuff goes through your head. There was panic and anxiety about the future for James.

“He was just a little boy and all he wanted was to run around like a normal boy.”

It was hard for the family to adapt in the first few months after the disagnosis.

Mr Cooke said: “James loved playing on the trampoline but we had to take that away.

“We have had to make adjustments as we continue through our journey and James is proving to be a real little Perthes warrior.

“He copes brilliantly and it has inspired me to set some personal challenges and at the same time seek ways to raise awareness of this rare condition.

“We have met lots of other families who are at different stages of the diagnosis and this is really helpful for sharing stories and experiences.”

James, who attends Robert Piggott Junior School, remains as active as possible and particularly enjoys going to swimming lessons every week. He also  attends hydrotherapy sessions regularly.

Mr Cooke said he was nervous before the triathlon. The 138 competitors gathered at Mill Green in Wargrave for the start.

Some did it as three-strong teams with each person taking on one of the disciplines but Mr Cooke did all three himself.

He was cheered on by James and his wife of 10 years, who works for Microsoft.

Mr Cooke, who trained with a group of local swimmers after buying a wetsuit, said: “I had really heavy legs during the final push. That was the hardest part. I had never done any open water swimming before.

“James has enjoyed doing swimming and it is really good for people with Perthes.

“I couldn’t have done this without the support of my friends and family. Raising this amount of money has blown me away. Everyone has been so generous and supportive.

“I hope to do more in the future so that I can get better. There are a number of swimming events coming up in August and September and I am having a think about them.

“I did enjoy this one and I do want to improve and gain more confidence.”

Mr Cooke praised the charity, saying: “It not only provides support to many Perthes families but enables much-needed research to find out what causes this condition.

“If we could understand that, we might learn how to prevent it from affecting other children.”

To make a donation, visit
justgiving.com/fundraising/howard-
cooke2