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Leeds businessman wears mankini for charity
A DAD is preparing for extreme pain – and embarrassment – to raise awareness of a rare and deadly condition that is blighting his toddler son's life.
Jonathan Haran of Wakefield will don a mankini for a gruelling race that includes an eight mile run and swim in underground tunnels filled with water – in freezing January.
The ordeal will be worth it for Jonathan, 30, if he can help raise awareness of the liver disease two-year-old son Luke is battling.
Luke was just five weeks old when he fell gravely ill with rare liver condition biliary atresia. Toxins built up in his liver because the passage to his intestines was blocked.
He underwent a life-saving operation at St James Hospital in Leeds to remove his bile duct and intestine.
Luke, who has a brother Edward, four, has been on medcication ever
since and it is likely he will need a liver transplant before he reaches his 20th birthday.
Jonathan and wife Joanna, 28, of Leeds Road, Outwood, want to raise awareness of the condition. They say GPs they dealt with were unaware of it. They also hope to raise funds for the Children's Liver Disease Foundation (CLDF).
Jonathan is training five days a week at Bannatyne's Health Club in Wakefield, as he prepares for the race.
Jonathan, a manager for Leeds refurbishment specialist Peter Cox, said: " I have never done anything like this before, but I am very motivated to get through it.
A friend and I saw the challenge on TV and knowing I don't like running and the cold he challenged me to do it in nothing more than a mankini.
"CLDF has been extremely supportive and the work they do is exceptional. With the support of the team at Bannatyne's and my sponsors I will give it my best shot."
The Tough Man race is on a specially-created assault course in Staffordshire.
Donate at: www.justgiving.com/jonathanharan
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Weather for Leeds
Wednesday 08 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: -5 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: North
Tomorrow
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