Tara Murray
Travis McCarty is walking 100 kilometres over 24 hours to help a family he doesn’t know.
The father of four was so struck by a news item about the Woronka family he decided to do something to help them.
Seven-year-old twins Riley and Cooper, along with their two-year-old brother Logan, have all been diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), a rare and progressive muscle-wasting condition which has no cure.
It’s likely all will need wheelchairs by the time they are 12.
Mr McCarty, said the story really stuck with him.
“It was a really moving thing,” he said.
“I saw it on the news and I wanted to do something. I sat there for a bit and the first thing I did was donate to their GoFundMe page to help them buy a big van.
“I felt like we could do something more and in the end I decided to do that walk.”
Mr McCarty, who had never met the family, messaged them to see whether they were happy with him doing a fundraising walk.
He said Bekk Woronka was ‘stoked’ that a stranger would do that for the family.
The family have set up their own fundraising page, firstly to buy a van to fit three wheelchairs and then for a house deposit.
On December 12, Mr McCarty will walk from Craigieburn to Point Cook, where the Woronka family lives.
He will be joined by three friends, including his boss and Sunbury Cricket Club coach Scott Yardley, and colleague JD Houston, who will walk 100 kilometres between them.
The walk will start in Craigieburn and go through Thomastown, Epping North, Altona North and Newport on the way to Point Cook.
With COVID-19 restrictions in place, the group hasn’t been able to train together but Mr McCarty lives in regional Victoria, so he’s
had no limits on how many kilometres he can do a day.
Mr McCarty said the walk was something the group wanted to make into a regular thing.
“The idea was to create an event this year and then next year look to open it up to other people to come on board.
“We’re hoping to raise about $15,000 this year and hopefully next year we can make it a bit bigger.
“Hopefully it gets off the ground and we can help the family out some more.”
To donate go to: ow.ly/SwQa50BX4aA
