VICTORIA -- The family of a 17-year-old Vancouver Island boy with muscular dystrophy is facing a massive bill to make their home wheelchair accessible. But some surprise relief is rolling in thanks to an old friend.

Quinn Schaddelee, 17, was once a student in Lindsay Cristante’s class.

“I remember Quinn being the type of kid who was running around in the gym,” she says. “He was active in sports, involved in Little League (baseball).”

That was in Grade 4, a couple years before his diagnosis.

“I didn't really know that I had it until I was 11 or 12,” Schaddelee says. Now a wheelchair is becoming a permanent part of his life.

The teacher and former student were reunited Tuesday for the first time in seven years. But it was more than a reunion.

The Schaddelee family is facing more than $200,000 in essential renovations for their home, “making the whole house accessible so I can do all the family activities,” Schaddelee says.

Cristante is stepping up by running 100 kilometres in a single day with the goal of raising $100,000 for the family.

Donations are already rolling in, totaling more than $40,000 by Wednesday morning.

The run is scheduled for June.