LITTLE Tyler Richardson is a lively five-year-old boy who enjoys nothing more than playing with his brother and sister.

And that is why his mum, Donna McMyler, is determined to do all she can to ensure that her son was not just “born to die”.

Tyler, described by his mother as a cheeky little boy, was diagnosed with the incurable Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) when he was just three.

Miss McMyler, aged 29, said: “We were told Tyler was born to die and his body would prematurely waste away, leaving him weak and useless.

“Once I did my research into the disease my heart broke thinking about burying Tyler prematurely and I knew that I had to do something to save my boy.”

Now Miss McMyler is juggling her role as a mum-of-three and her job with a debt management company to raise money to further research into the condition.

Miss McMyler, who recently moved from Horwich to Salford to live with her partner, said: “Tyler is a stubborn cheeky money who always gets up when he falls down and gets on with it.

“One day he won’t get up and will need to be carried and nursed — no parent ever wants that for their child.”

Tyler’s family — Miss McMyler’s partner Nick Irlam and his dad Aaron — refuse to accept his “life sentence” and have already raised thousands to support Action Duchenne.

Tyler, who has a brother, Bailey, aged eight, and a 10-year-old sister, Mairead, is under the care of the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, and doctors in Newcastle.

Miss McMyler, who attended Mount St Joseph School and Our Lady of Lourdes in Farnworth, said: “There have been some very promising developments in research, but lack of funding is a major problem.”

She is preparing for a triathlon and friends have organised a family fun day fundraiser at Our Lady of Lourdes School on March 31.