White Hart Lane Hosts 4 Muscle Warriors

Sat 1st May 2010 was a day that will always be remembered not only by The Muscle Help Foundation’s latest Muscle Dream™ recipients but also by their families. The programme kicked-off with the four boys accompanied by one of their parent’s receiving a warm welcome by the charity’s co-founder Michael McGrath before being escorted to their very own corporate boxes, courtesy of the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation. All 4 boys have the life-limiting muscle wasting condition Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD).

 "I would like to pay particular thanks to James Isaac of the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation for his tremendous help in knitting the day together and for also hosting our Muscle Warriors™ group so warmly in the two hospitality boxes that the club so generously gifted to the charity on the day," said Michael McGrath. 

After the match against Bolton which saw Spurs win, the group drove in convoy across town to the fashionable London Hilton on Park Lane where there was time to freshen up before heading off for a scrumptious group dinner to the Planet Hollywood restaurant, the world’s one and only dining experience inspired by the glamour of Hollywood and backed by megastars Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Demi Moore!

Some of the comments received from the boys mum’s and dad’s included:  

You have not only made our little boy’s ‘Muscle Dream’ come true but also his entire family! At no point did anyone feel left out - the added surprises and little touches throughout the day were so very special ... we felt like royalty

Our son’s eyes popped out of his head in our amazing bedrooms at the Hilton Park Lane when he saw the presents you bought him for his own special goody-bag. He completed the Lego in record-time!

We met a lot of lovely people ... the other families and your family have now become and will always remain our firm friends

We will remember your help and generosity for years to come. The visit to Planet Hollywood was quite an experience, and to stay at one of the top hotels in London ... the Hilton, was the icing on the cake!

Commenting on the experience, Michael McGrath added, "it was fantastic to see the boys enjoying themselves so much and really wonderful to have their whole families come together at the hotel before enjoying dinner. I would like to say a very special thank you specifically to Tottenham Hotspur and to the London Hilton on Park Lane for being so generous in gifting their support and help throughout the fulfilment of these Muscle Dreams™. There were many magical moments throughout the day, not least a comment overheard from one of the boys on arrival at the Hilton Hotel... who looked up into the eyes of his dad and simply said, "This is the best place I’ve ever been to in my life"!

"And so our charity moves a little closer towards its wider vision of in time, delivering 657 Muscle Dreams™ in the UK for children and young people with muscular dystrophy - this is the number of muscles in the human body."

About Muscle Warriors™

Muscle Warriors™ are those generous-hearted people who use for example the power of sport to engage, inspire and raise vital funds - Muscle Warriors™ run across deserts, do triathlons as well as events called GRIM, climb mountains and participate in all sorts of crazy activities to enable Muscle Dreams™ to happen. Muscle Warriors™ are also those individuals afflicted by this remorseless, cruel and unforgiving disease, whose muscles are broken and wasting away, who have to battle 24/7 every single day, where life is an unrelenting fight, eased only by those who care tirelessly and love unconditionally, mums and dads, uncles and aunties, brothers and sisters - all of them Muscle Warriors™.

About Muscle Dreams™

Muscle Dreams™ are amazing experiences designed to help children and young people in the UK whose lives are afflicted by the muscle-wasting disease, muscular dystrophy (MD), the opportunity to live a dream, or perhaps fulfil a cherished ambition.

Muscular Dystrophy is the single biggest genetic killer of children in our world today. With some 75,000 UK sufferers being robbed of their mobility, independence and finally for those with the most severe form known as Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) their lives, the charity delivers experiences for people directly affected by this debilitating disease.

These can cost anywhere between £250 to for example £5000 - The Muscle Help Foundation (MHF) is unable to fund every single Muscle Dream™ nomination received.

How can my company get involved?

If you or your company would like to either help us raise further funds so we can deliver more Muscle Dreams™ or perhaps sponsor s specific Muscle Dream™ or offer resources (people) with skills and/or time in helping the charity to scale up its operational capability, you can contact us via email or phone us directly on +44 (0) 1763 274658.

About the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation

The Tottenham Hotspur Foundation is committed to providing the best sports, health, training and education programmes for all their communities; creating opportunities, encouraging enterprise and innovation, promoting social cohesion and enhancing life skills. The Foundation uses sport and, in particular football, as a vehicle to create life changing opportunities for children, groups and individuals within their communities.

Special thanks to the following Muscle Warrior volunteers for giving their time on the day to assist in helping the charity realise these four special Muscle Dreams™

• Vicky Haverson
• Jake Kanter
• Justin Roberts
• Gemma McGrath
• Miles Peckham

From the press office of The Muscular Help Foundation
Registered Charity No. 1096716