NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — A father from the United Kingdom is walking barefoot down the U.S. East Coast to raise money for research towards a rare disease his daughter was born with.
Chris Brannigan, a major in the British Army, has already walked about 500 of his 1,200-mile barefoot journey and made his way into New York over the weekend.
"It's been pretty painful so far if I'm honest. My feet have seen better days. They're a bit damaged and sore, but I'm really enjoying New York and people are actually being incredibly kind stopping me giving me donations on the street," Brannigan told WCBS 880's Kristie Keleshian.
He embarked on his journey to raise money towards research and awareness for Cornelia de Lange Syndrome, or CdLS.
"Unfortunately I have to be here to raise this money cause otherwise it's just not going to happen. The money is not going to come from anywhere else," Brannigan said.
It's a rare disease that only affects 1 in 20,000 births. His 9-year-old daughter, Hasti, suffers from seizures, self-harming behavior and developmental delays.
"She wouldn't eat a drop of milk voluntarily for the first year of her life, and she didn't walk until she was 2 or speak until she was 5 so she needs so much support," Brannigan said. "Her disease gets very little attention or money from pharmaceutical companies, or governments, or insurance companies and that's why I'm having to do this 1,200 mile barefoot walk just to bring people's attention and raise the money we need to create a treatment for Hasti and other kids who have this."
His daughter is currently back home in the UK with her mom and two siblings.
"She understands what I'm doing, but Hasti's only 9 really and every time I speak to her via video call she just asks me when I'm coming home because she wants her daddy to come home," Brannigan said.
Brannigan began his journey on Aug. 31 in Maine, where his charity Hope for Hasti funds CdLS research, and will finish his walk on Oct. 24 in North Carolina.
"American people are being so kind, they understand that Hasti's condition gets worse and we're really racing against the clock to change her fate and they've been so helpful," Brannigan said.
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