Major walking 700 miles barefoot for daughter's illness research

An army major whose daughter suffers from a rare genetic disease is walking barefoot from Land's End to Edinburgh to fund research into the condition.

Maj Chris Brannigan's eight-year-old daughter Hasti was diagnosed with the disorder Cornelia de Lange Syndrome (CdLS) in 2018.

Children with CdLS often suffer from seizures and severe anxiety and it has no cure or treatment.

Maj Brannigan began his 700-mile walk on Monday and hopes to raise £400,000.

"I've been deployed on operations twice before, I see this as my third tour of duty, to fight to create a treatment for my daughter and other children like her," he said.

The officer, who is based at Tidworth Barracks in Wiltshire, said he was already feeling the physical impact of walking barefoot for more than 26 miles so far as part of his Hope for Hasti campaign.

"It's a tough challenge but I'm doing this for my little girl, to give her hope for the future," he said.

"Every painful step barefoot and every donation, no matter how small, hopefully means we are a step closer to funding research into treatments."

Maj Brannigan is also launching a petition asking the government to review its National Framework for Rare Disease.

He hopes it will encourage it to invest in research, earlier diagnosis and cutting-edge treatments to give hope to people affected.

"The support we've received so far has been incredible but we know can't do it on our own, every penny is vital to achieving our goal to help Hasti and other children like her," he said.

"It's what any parent would do to ensure the best for their child and we won't stop fighting for a better future for those affected."