But his mum Charlotte knows her eldest child is living on borrowed time.

By the time he is 12, Ryan will require a fully motorised wheelchair to get around. He probably won’t live to see his 25th birthday.

Ryan suffers from Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a degenerative muscle wasting disorder which affects about one in every 3,600 boys. There is no cure for the disease, which has a 100 per cent fatality rate.

Watching Ryan run and play now is bittersweet, his mother said. 

Ryan was diagnosed with the condition in 2014 after his physiotherapist noticed some of the warning signs such as toe-walking and being unable to get up off the floor normally. 

His diagnosis rocked the family.

“It was devastating,” Charlotte said.

“When you first find out, you’re just in shock and grief.

“We didn’t know what muscular dystrophy was; we’d heard of it but didn’t know anything about Duchenne, which is the worst type.”

Connecting with the families of other sufferers helped the Healys get through the initial diagnosis. They’re aware of five other boys in Bendigo with the disorder, all at different stages of progression. 

“They’re the only ones who can really understand what you’re going through and they’re very supportive,” she said. 

“The most helpful thing people have told us is just to take it all a day at a time and enjoy every moment with him. For now, we’ve got him with us and we have to enjoy every second.”

The affection between Ryan and Sophie is obvious as the pair ham it up for the camera, taking turns zooming down the slide before calling to see the photographs. Ryan yells out for a cuddle from his baby sister who complies with a kiss on his cheek. 

It’s heart wrenching to think that Ryan and Sophie won’t be able to play together like this for much longer. They’re much too young to understand what is to come.

“We try to be as honest as we can and answer all Ryan’s questions,” Charlotte said. 

“He knows he’s a little bit different and his muscles don’t work the same but he doesn’t know the full picture of what is going to happen to him.”

Ryan dad Michael is one of 42 people who will take part in the Bendigo Bank Fun Run to raise awareness of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. 

The group – mostly family and friends - will wear custom ‘Reach out for Ryan’ shirts. 

The Healys hope to eventually establish a foundation in Ryan’s name to raise money and awareness for the disease.

Charlotte took part in the run last year but has a good excuse not to this year – the couple’s third child is due in three weeks. 

Ryan tires easily due to his condition and recently got a manual wheelchair to help out with long distances. 

Medicine doesn’t have any answers for Ryan at the moment but Charlotte said they still had hope.

“There’s not much they can do; they just monitor the progression of the disease which is sad,” she said.

“We’re still praying for a cure or a decent treatment.”

Ryan dad Michael is one of 42 people who will take part in the Bendigo Bank Fun Run to raise awareness of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. 

The group – mostly family and friends - will wear custom ‘Reach out for Ryan’ shirts. 

The Healys hope to eventually establish a foundation in Ryan’s name to raise money and awareness for the disease.

Charlotte took part in the run last year but has a good excuse not to this year – the couple’s third child is due in three weeks. 

For more information about Ryan or to donate, visit reachoutforryan.wix.com/donatenow or find them on Facebook. The Bendigo Bank Fun Run is November 1.