Young Eliza McKinney, from North Berwick, to join her dad Ross in 5k to fight rare condition from which she suffers

Ross McKinney will take part in the Change is Possible race, to be held at Archerfield Walled Garden in the summer.

He will take part alongside daughter Eliza, who has Rett Syndrome and has only been able to walk for about a year, although she will be in a buggy for the duration of the race.

Mr McKinney said: “At nearly six years of age, she has only been walking for a year, after we were told she would never reach this milestone.

“She can still only walk short distances and often falls, and is only really safe walking inside.

“Eliza and I will be doing this run together – I will be pushing Eliza in a buggy, so that she gets to take part in the race, rather than always being on the sidelines.”

Rett Syndrome is a rare condition which affects the brain and makes even the most basic tasks almost impossible for sufferers.

Ross and wife Catherine were told that their daughter was unlikely to ever be able to walk on her own.

Ross said: “Five kilometres doesn’t seem like a long way to run, but it’s a distance that Eliza will never manage on her own as long as she has Rett Syndrome.

“Eliza was a happy, healthy, content baby and developed normally until we realised at around 14 months that she was not reaching all her milestones. She went on to have endless tests and we slowly watched her lose the ability to wave, point, sit unaided, feed herself and say any words.

“At the age of three we received the diagnosis of Rett Syndrome,” he said, which mum Catherine told the Courier previously was “the worst possible” news.

Ross added: “Most of all, we would like Eliza to be able to speak and to tell us how she feels. We would love to hear her voice again.”

He urged people to sponsor them, with the money going to Reverse Rett, the charity working to find a cure for the condition.

“Help them to help our little girl,” he added.

To sponsor Ross, visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Ross-McKinney1