A BARRHEAD mum went on the run to raise funds for a charity close to her heart.

Claire Williamson, 35, tackled the Paisley 10K in aid of research into a rare condition known as microtia, as well as to help support families affected by it.

The paediatric theatre nurse was inspired by her two-year-old son Lewis, who was born with right-sided microtia, which is a malformation or misshape of the external part of the ear.
Most children with the condition have some degree of hearing loss.

Claire told the Barrhead News: “My husband Colin and I, along with Lewis’ big sister Aimee, are trying to raise awareness of microtia.

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“When Lewis was born, his right ear was underdeveloped, which causes hearing loss on that side. The money we are raising for Microtia UK will be going towards supporting other families and helping the charity research the condition and why it happens.

“We really want to raise awareness because it is rare and not many people know about it.

“Lewis goes to the McCready Family Centre, in Barrhead, to help bring on his speech and language and he also regularly attends the new children’s hospital.”

Treatment for youngsters with microtia depends on the type or severity of the condition.

Claire said: “Lewis has normal hearing in the left ear. He is not profoundly deaf, as his cochlear nerve is normal, but the outside of his ear hasn’t formed, so he has no ear canal.

“Lewis wears a ‘baha,’ which is a bone-anchored hearing aid, and when he is five years old, he will get surgery and he’ll have this hearing aid built into his skull, so he will have it all the time.

“At the moment, it is like a wee hair-band because he is only two and he wears it all the time.

“When his ears eventually stop growing, he’ll have the choice to have reconstructive surgery, when he’s around 10 or 11 years old.

“He is such a happy wee boy and takes everything in his stride.”

After the family set up a JustGiving page a couple of months ago, more than £1,300 has been raised for Microtia UK.

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The total was boosted by Claire’s 10K run, which also saw her friend Jennifer Harvey pounding the streets to coin in cash.

Claire added: “Taking part in the run went really well. Both Jennifer and myself ran it in 58 minutes.

“We had been training for a couple of months beforehand, just going for a run around Barrhead and getting ourselves ready for the big day.

“We’ve raised more than we’d hoped for.”

If you would like to support the fundraising campaign for Microtia UK, click HERE.