Guilt is a heavy burden that Lanarkshire dad Thomas Henderson has to bear for unwittingly passing on an hereditary neurological disorder to his eldest daughter.
But, if there’s one thing he can do to mitigate nine-year-old Sienna’s inheritance of the symptoms of Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease – a condition that causes weakness and wasting of muscles in the lower legs – it’s that he is demonstrating to his girl that she too can soar and achieve the sporting prowess of an elite athlete.
Having CMT, as Thomas describes it, is like walking with one’s toes in the way. He was 15-months-old before he took his first steps and, when he did, he would frequently “trip over fresh air.”
