An 11-year-old who climbed a mountain to raise money for Parkinson’s research was thanked by scientists looking for a cure.
Fife schoolboy Andrew Hornyak was inspired to climb a Munro after his mother Lynda told him she had the disease, and they visited Dundee University to present a cheque for £2,200 to the Parkinson’s UK charity. He also witnessed the research his efforts are helping to fund and meet the scientists involved.
Andrew set himself a target of raising £300 but was inundated with support, so by the time he had climbed Ben Chonzie, near Crieff, on April 26, he had exceeded his target by more than £1,000.
Andrew, who climbed the Munro with five friends and adult instructors, said: “I’m hoping to help all people with Parkinson’s so that they can just go to the doctor to get medicine that makes them better right away.
“It was the first Munro I walked and we helped each other make it to the top. It was a really big surprise when I came home and saw how much people had given.”
Lynda said: “Andrew said he wanted to help me get better and we began to think about how best for him to do this.
“The actual walk was incredible and he learned valuable life skills that day with the help of the wonderful staff who took them. It was great that he smashed his target because he set up the JustGiving page himself and did all the organising, which was really a great effort from an 11-year-old boy.
“We have had to adjust the way we do some things since my diagnosis, but it’s pretty much life as normal.”
She continued: “If there was ever a ‘good’ time to be diagnosed with an illness it is now.
“The research and discovery of new drugs is happening every day and we are delighted to have been invited to attend the university event, hand over his cheque, tour the labs and meet the scientists.”
The Parkinson’s Open Day was part of the celebrations to mark the 100th anniversary of the Medical Research Council at the university.