Sport, family and EB: Dan’s story

Dan King, who lives with EB, ran the London Landmarks Half Marathon in March 2025. He shares more about why he took on this challenge for DEBRA and how sport has impacted his life, as well as his children’s.

“I have dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (DEB) and will always look at ways in which I can support DEBRA. That’s why I signed up to the London Landmarks Half in 2025. I’m fortunate enough to have lived a relatively normal and active life for someone who has EB. Therefore, I wanted to give something back which will help others who are less fortunate. It’s also close to home because both my children have the same gene and live with EB.

I chose the London Landmarks as my wife ran it a few years ago and the atmosphere looked amazing. I also hadn’t run it before so it’s another race I could tick off my bucket list! Running isn’t my friend due to a dodgy back, but I still managed to make it to the start line and finish on the day.

DEBRA is an amazing charity which needs every bit of help it can receive. Without donations, they would not be able to continue to do the amazing work they do to make people’s lives that little bit easier. Whilst my children have relatively mild EB, the support they have provided has been amazing and helped them have a “normal” life.

DEBRA work in partnership with the NHS to ensure people get the healthcare and wellbeing support they need. This includes supporting people through their EB diagnosis and referral to an EB healthcare centre which for us, is Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH). We now have contacts in GOSH we can reach out to if ever need and have access to medication like plasters and needles for blister management.

The more exposure the charity has, the more they can support other families like mine.

Both of my children, Fletcher, and Scarlett, play football. Whilst I played in the park with my friends when I was younger, I wasn’t fortunate enough to play grassroots football because of the blisters on my feet. That’s not to say it stopped me from giving it a go, but it was a challenge through my teenage years.

Thankfully, both of my children have milder EB than me, but they must still be careful. Fletcher struggles the most and wears special protectors for his ankles and plasters on his kicking foot. Both will occasionally take the skin off their knees, but we don’t make a fuss, and they just get on with it. Fletcher also gets embarrassed when his friends see his scars, but we try not to make an issue of it. He has previously spoken to someone at GOSH about this and seems to be less worried about what other people might say.

They both play at a really high level, and I was always brought up to believe I should be treated no differently and just get on with things. That’s the same mindset we’ve applied throughout. Their skin condition should never be a barrier to achieving whatever they set their minds to. Of course, that’s easy for me to say – I understand that everyone’s experience is different, and for some, the severity of their condition can make certain things physically impossible. I also played cricket at a high level, and my hands have certainly paid the price – tight skin, split webbing, and thick, dry patches in places. But you adapt, push through, and carry on with life. I always remind myself that there are others who face far greater challenges than I do.

They are amazing children, and I couldn’t be prouder of them both.”