Annette Urry and Tina Caldiera, of the Child Development Centre, with Christian and Angela Gueguen and their daughters Monique (2) and Nicole (6) Picture: MATTHEW HOTTON (01061419)

A MAN whose youngest daughter suffers from a rare form of restricted growth will be running the Standard Chartered Jersey marathon on Sunday to raise funds for the health team who have supported her and the whole family throughout.

Christian Gueguen wants to demonstrate to the team at the Child Development Centre at Overdale Hospital just how much he and his wife, Angela, appreciate the work that they do and, in particular, the care and support they have given to his family.

So, having run both the London and Jersey marathons twice before, he will be lining up on Sunday week with the aim of giving something back.

The couple, who live in St Andrews Road and have an elder daughter Nicole, who is aged six, knew when Angela had a scan before the birth of Monique two years ago that something was not quite right. But it was only when she was born that the condition became apparent.
‘My daughter was diagnosed with a rare form of restricted growth at birth,’ explained Christian, who is aged 33 and works as a postman.

‘She has attended the CDC since she was four months old. Monique was originally referred to the centre for management in a Pavlik harness, as her hips were not as mature as they should have been at birth. In addition to this, she continues to receive physiotherapy once a month, as she has a curvature of the spine and wears Piedro boots to help support her feet.’

He said that Monique also received help from the occupational therapy team who visit their home to help make it more accessible for her needs. ‘For example, they have recently provided us with a hand rail to enable Monique to go up and down the stairs more independently,’ he said.

Monique is also monitored by the speech and language team because of other problems she has, including a difficulty with swallowing.

‘The dedication of the CDC with not only my daughter, but many other children with similar problems, has made a difficult situation much easier to bear,’ he said. ‘Without their support, Monique would not have made such progress in her two short years. I would really like to be able to give something back to the team and I feel that raising awareness of their efforts and what they do, would be a good place to start.’

It will be his fifth marathon and although he has achieved times of under 3 hr 30 min in the past, 3 hr 27 min being his best, he said that he had not been able to train so much this year and he would be aiming to finish in under four hours.

His wife, who works as a client officer at the Royal Bank of Canada, said that she had done a lot of research into the rare condition and that, together with Monique, she will be attending a conference on the subject in Chester on the marathon weekend.

Unfortunately, that means she will not be on the sidelines cheering on her husband. But daughter Nicole and granddad Jean Lescop will be there to provide encouragement en route.

• If anyone wants to sponsor Christian, there are sponsorship forms available at the Child Development Centre and at the physiotherapy department of the General Hospital. Alternatively, people can call him on 618635.

• To enter the marathon, relay or JEP fun run, or to volunteer to help. Go to www.jersey-marathon.com for details.