A FATHER who ran the London Marathon to raise money for research into a rare disease afflicting his two-year-old daughter crossed the finishing line with the brave tot on his shoulders.
Mark Bourgeois finished the marathon in three hours 15 minutes and said he was delighted with the £15,500 sponsorship he managed to raise.
His daughter, Anna, suffers from cancer and the incurable neurological condition called 'Dancing Eye Syndrome'.
The main symptoms of the disease are loss of balance, an inability to walk, limb tremors and uncontrollable eye movements. It strikes previously healthy children and is incurable, generally leading to learning and behavioural difficulties as the child grows older.
Mr Bourgeois, 34, who now lives in London but was brought up in Ilkley, has raised the money for the Dancing Eye Syndrome Trust.
The Bourgeois family live in Ilkley and own Glovers Garage on Church Street as well as Kineholme Garage in Otley.
Mark's sister, Liz Bourgeois, handed Anna over to her dad just before he crossed the finishing line. Liz said: "She thoroughly enjoyed all the attention and clapped and waved to the crowds on route. It was a moving and memorable event."
Mr Bourgeios said: "It is fantastic in terms of the charity and all the people in the Dancing Eye Syndrome Trust."
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