Accor executives dig deep to raise funds for rare medical condition at Ironman Phuket
The Asia Pacific hospitality industry recently came together to challenge themselves in the gruelling IRONMAN 70.3 triathlon in Phuket, driven by a desire to raise money and awareness for a little known medical condition.
A team of Accor Hotel Group executives and friends led by Michael Parsons, senior VP of marketing at Accor APAC, undertook the physical challenge of completing the IRONMAN 70.3, motivated by a serious issue close to home. The catalyst was Michael’s young son, Jax Bay Parsons, who was born with Pallister-Killian Syndrome (PKS), a rare chromosomal disorder that is not widely understood in the medical profession. Due to its rarity, Parsons says there is little support to families who raise a child with the crippling PKS condition.
Jax suffers from major developmental conditions including mild hearing loss, seizures, chronic lung disease and sleep apnea and has spent over 400 days of his life in hospital.
After months of training, the Tri4Jax race team, made up of Guillaume Rondy, Jean-Baptiste Le Blan, Trent Standen, Tom Lister, Tom Deakin and Michael Parsons, acquitted themselves well at IRONMAN.
Trent was first across the finish line with a very commendable time of 4 hours 51 min, followed by Jean-Baptiste at 4 hours 52 min. Collectively, the group and support team in Phuket helped the PKS Foundation of Australia raise in excess of AU$52,000, and significantly raised the profile of this little known condition. The money will go directly to funding more research and providing a much needed support network for families.
The Triathlon attracted over 1,200 competitors hailing from over 60 countries including many world class athletes.
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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