Run for the Kids 2019: Dyson Heppell backs Team Harrison at fun run
Essendon captain Dyson Heppell is getting behind Team Harrison ahead of this year’s Herald Sun/Transurban Run for the Kids in support of his six-year-old mate, Harrison Pennicott.
They say it takes a small village to raise a child, but in the case of Team Harrison, it’s a selfless group of individuals – including Essendon’s Dyson Heppell – who are getting behind a very special kid.
Harrison Pennicott is a bright, sociable six-year-old, who loves hanging out with his big brother Miller, eight, supporting the Bombers, and playing with Lego; he also happens to be the youngest person in Australia with a rare, incurable auto-immune condition that affects his skin.
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“Harrison has scleroderma pansclerotic morphea, the rarest form of scleroderma” said his mother, Leesa, who created Team Harrison as a fundraising and awareness initiative following his 2016 diagnosis.
“Initially, doctors thought he had a form of juvenile arthritis because his hands would ball up. It took a while to determine what it was because there’s so few cases, not just in Australia, but worldwide.”
Essendon skipper and all-around-good-guy, Dyson Heppell, is no stranger to helping out for a good cause, but Harrison’s story in particular struck him on a personal level, as his late grandmother also had scleroderma.
“I’m getting involved in the Run for the Kids because I admire the bravery of children who are fighting cancer and other illnesses,” said the footballer.
“Harrison is a very special person in my life and has an amazing ability to make those around him laugh and smile. He thinks he’s going to beat me in the run, but there’s no chance of that happening.”
Harrison and the footy star became fast mates when Dyson shaved off his beard this past June to raise funds for Team Harrison on World Scleroderma Day.
It’s easy to disregard the importance of skin, but it’s actually the human body’s largest organ and its first line of defence.
Because of Harrison’s condition, his skin doesn’t work as it should and consequently, it can easily overheat and stiffen. While daily medication eases symptoms, it also impacts Harrison’s immunity, making him more susceptible to illnesses.
As a result, Leesa and husband Jamie have ferried their son in and out of the Royal Children’s Hospital for most of his childhood.
“As parents, it’s an incredibly difficult position to find ourselves in. What helps tremendously, however, is the community spirit of the Royal Children’s hospital, particularly the Rheumatology department, which doesn’t get nearly enough recognition,” she said.
“Harrison’s had the same team of nurses look after him since his first visit three years ago. Anyone with sick children knows how much of a rarity that is in hospitals, so we’ve been very fortunate.”
To express their gratitude, Leesa, Jamie and their ever-expanding group of supporters will represent Team Harrison at this year’s Herald Sun/Transurban Run for the Kids.
“This marks our team’s third consecutive year participating,” said Leesa, who’d like to see 200 supporters run or walk at this year’s event on behalf of Team Harrison and to help raise money for the Good Friday Appeal.
“So many of our family, friends and locals from our community in Warrenwood have joined our initiative over the years and words can’t express how thankful we are for their support,” she said.
Get behind Team Harrison at the 2019 Herald Sun/Transurban Run for the Kids by donating or registering to run/walk at the 14th annual fun run, which takes place on Sunday 7 April.
Originally published as Run for the Kids 2019: Dyson Heppell backs Team Harrison at fun run
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