Carmela Chillery-Watson is a six-year-old with a rare disease who has begun a 2,000km walking challenge in an effort to raise money for Muscular Dystrophy UK, a charity focusing on muscular dystrophy and related conditions. Beginning with a goal of £6,000, Chillery-Watson's campaign, also called "'WalkWithCarmela," has greatly surpassed its target, thanks in part to the £3,442 donation of Wonder Woman 1984's Gal Gadot.Gadot shared an article about Carmela's fundraising campaign on Twitter, which mentions that the young girl is a huge fan of Wonder Woman and will dress like the hero during the challenge. "My real wonder girl! Wow this video blew my mind," Gadot commented. "You're a true hero. So inspiring and strong. I hope one day we get to meet each other. Until then I'm sending you lots of love and a big big hug!!!"
Carmela's mother, Lucy, shared her excitement about Gadot's donation, saying, "We couldn't believe it when we found out that Gal had made such a huge donation and are over the moon that we've smashed our target already. We were sitting on the sofa after a really tough day, and Carmela was absolutely chuffed when she heard the news. Walking 1km a day is the equivalent of a marathon for Carmela who cannot do things other children take for granted."
Additionally, Muscular Dystrophy CEO, Catherine Woodhead, spoke about Carmela's fundraising challenge as well as Gadot's donation. "We are absolutely delighted that Gal Gadot has made such a generous donation to Carmela’s Wonder Woman Walk, as well as making her smile, we are hugely grateful for her support, especially because COVID-19 has had a profound impact on our charity, Muscular Dystrophy UK. This fundraising challenge will help us to support research into rare muscle-wasting conditions."
Carmela and a team of other walkers, dubbed her "sidekicks," will try to meet a goal of walking 2000km in 30 days. Due to her condition, which is called LMNA-CMD, Carmela will walk 0.5 to 1km a day for a total goal of 300km by the end of the 30 days. Donations to Chillery-Watson's charity efforts can be made on her JustGiving page.
Gadot will return as Dian Prince/Wonder Woman in the upcoming DC Extended Universe film, Wonder Woman 1984, which was delayed until Christmas of 2020 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Directed and co-written by Patty Jenkins, Wonder Woman 1984 stars Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig, Pedro Pascal and Natasha Rothwell. The film arrives in theaters Dec. 25.