Stewart and Annette Rush, of Borough Grove, were left reeling after learning son Joe had Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), a rare condition which affects one in every 3,500 male births.

It is caused by a genetic fault passed on in x-chromosomes, which progressively breaks down boys' muscles and leaves them wheelchair bound by the age of about 10.

By their late teens or early 20s the condition is so severe it shortens life expectancy. Annette said Joe, who attends Langrish Primary School, was diagnosed with DMD in May last year.

She said: "It came out of the blue. As parents we decided we needed to do something about it, we could not just sit there and wait for something to happen.

"My husband Stewart is a keen swimmer and he decided he wanted to do a 24 hour swim." Together the pair organised the swimathon in Buckinghamshire on behalf of Action Duchenne – the charity which directly funds research into the condition.

They contacted elite swimmers from around the UK and as far away as the Czech Republic and Spain, who were keen to be part of the event.

Stewart said: "The challenge was to swim up and down the pool for a mile every hour, on the hour, for 24 hours.

"It was hard – most of the swimmers were doing a mile in under half an hour, then getting out of the pool, eating something, drinking something and then sleeping for five minutes before diving back in.

"We were physically shattered and exhausted." The team burned off the equivalent of 15 roast dinners each during the swim and were inspired by the sight of Joe watching on from the pool side to keep on going.

However, the choking effect of the chlorine at the public swimming pool took its toll. The swimming team were eventually forced to try inhalers at one stage, in a bid to relieve the burning sensation in their throats.

"I could not carry on because the chlorine choked us on the day – it took out half the swimmers. I managed to complete 10 miles myself, and six people finished the 24 hours."

It did not get any easier for Stewart once the swim had finished either – as he lay recovering he was forced to get his chest waxed to raise more donations for the fund.

Annette said: "Everybody was crying with laughter at the end." A breakthrough in finding a cure for DMD was made recently when a boy had an injection into his foot muscles, which stopped them from deteriorating.

Now scientists want to experiment with other parts of the body and look at ideas such as injecting viruses or rubbing in creams that might cure the condition.

However, more money is needed to fund the research. To make a donation log-on to www.2swim4life.com or call Stewart Rush on 07904 170839.