Members of the Academy staff at Brentford will be taking on one of the toughest endurance challenges around, Tough Mudder, next month in aid of Youth Team Manger Jon De Souza’s wife who suffers from Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. Jon De Souza will be joined at the event in Henley-on-Thames on the 1st of May by Academy coaches Gabriel Flores and Anthony Hayes, as well as analyst Xarius Desai, and Strength and Conditioning coaches Mason Noise, Mikey Burrough, and James Purdue.
Tough Mudder is an endurance event series which tests participants mental and physical strength over a 10 to 16 mile military style obstacle course. Obstacles include ice-water pools, live electric wire fields, climbing walls, and monkey bars with the focus on teamwork and co-operation. The Brentford FC Team will be taking part in next month’s event to raise money to fund research into Ehlers-Danlos syndrome: a life-changing genetic disorder where the structure of all connective tissue in the body is abnormal. Ehlers-Danlos is an inherited disease, with a 50 per cent chance of transmission to unborn babies, which can cause joint hypermobility, constant joint dislocation, heart defects, and damage to organs.
Jon De Souza said: “From the outside, a person suffering with this disease will look perfectly healthy. However, they will be suffering chronic pain, a number of serious medical problems and their illness will continually degenerate over time. There is no treatment and no cure, just minimal pain relief, the option of endless operations, and a future of never getting better. Hopefully the money that we can raise will help the fight against this illness and improve the quality of life for those who suffer from it.”
You can sponsor Jon and the Academy team by visiting their JustGiving page.