The son and brother of Jamie Maloney are running the London Marathon to help find a cure for his paralysis.
Jamie was just 28 years old, and a new dad, when a freak swimming pool accident left him paralysed from the chest down.
His brother Terry, from Debden, said: "We had previously lost another brother of mine in a car accident so it was a very difficult time for our family.
"But the way Jamie has responded to the challenges of his new life is an inspiration.
"I’ve seen him during his darkest times but he always powers through with such a positive attitude.
"The struggles he goes through on a daily basis and strength he has shown me makes me so proud to be his brother."
Dad-of-three Terry, who works as a builder, has never run a marathon before, but will take on the challenge in April to raise money for Spinal Research - which funds research into function restoring treatments for paralysis after a spinal cord injury.
Terry will be joined at the start line by Alfie, his 19-year-old nephew.
"Jamie and Alfie have such a special bond and it’s definitely going to be a very emotional day," Terry said. "But we are doing this in honour of Jamie and for such a brilliant charity."
Sports science student Alfie works for Charlton Athletic FC and is assistant coach at Cray Wanderers girls football team.
He said: "I was only three months old when my dad broke his neck.
"It’s always been my dream to play football with him, sadly my dream will never come true, but I’d like to do my little bit in helping other children’s dreams come true."
You can support Terry and Alfie on their JustGiving pages at https://www.justgiving.com/page/terry-maloney-1705091061811 and https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/alfie-spinal-research.
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Every four hours someone in the UK is paralysed due to a spinal cord injury, with around 60,000 people living with the consequences.
According to Spinal Research, ground-breaking treatments being developed offer real hope for the future.
Chair Tara Stewart said: "If we can get the money I genuinely believe that curing paralysis will be the medical breakthrough of the 21st century."
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