Beverly Reece
Bev Runs The London Marathon for Charity!
Fundraising for The PBC Foundation
Story
My STORY – Why I chose to run the London Marathon for the PBC Foundation Many of you know that my sister Michele, was Diagnosed with the condition Primary Billary Cirrhosis (PBC), about 5 or 6 years ago. This came as a huge shock to her and her family at the time, I can only imagine how daunting it must have been for her to be faced with the news of a disease which not many people have even heard about, but also, although she will be on medication for the rest of her life, there is no cure and they predicted that she would need a Liver Transplant in about 5 years time which could either go very well or very badly. I’m sure that those of you who know Michele or who have met her along the way, will agree with me when I say that not once have you ever heard her complain or wallow in self-pity at being diagnosed with such a serious condition at such a young age. This disease presents many side affects one of which is her constant itching; which I believe has the feeling of spiders crawling under your skin 24/7. This is something I have found through my own research on the disease, Michele has never let on how bad it feels, although it must drive her mad. This is just one of the many things she has to cope with daily. My sister is the bravest person I have ever met! In September 2007 Michele phoned me at work to tell me the news that her and Barry (her husband) were expecting a baby, they were so excited at the prospect of being parents, everyone was absolute thrilled for them. (This is something that would have not been possible after she had the transplant) Of course this pregnancy was never going to be plain sailing and on the 6th April 2008 Jenson Christopher Lynch was born 7 ½ weeks premature by caesarean section. Although he was the tiniest baby I had ever seen, it was clear from the start he was a fighter like his mother (and of course Barry). When Jenson was barely a year old Michele had gone for her routine blood tests l and was told the news that her disease was now in it’s final stages and it was time to prepare for the Liver transplant! This was the first time I had ever sensed any fear in Michele as she told me that she had always lived in hope that they would find a cure for the illness. What with her baby boy who had just celebrated his first birthday, this must have come as a blow to her. After a painful biopsy and a series of tolerance tests to make sure her body could withstand the transplant, she finally went on the waiting list for a compatible Liver. After months of waiting, she had a call at 11.45pm on the 2nd January 2010 from the Liver Unit at King’s College Hospital in London, to say they had a compatible liver for her and they would be sending an Ambulance to collect her in half an hour! The call sent a normally very laid back and calm Michele, into a panic attack, as the day she had been dreading was finally here. She said her goodbyes to Barry and to her baby boy Jenson (whom was still fast asleep in his cot) and bravely set upon the journey to the hospital for the biggest and final obstacle that this horrible disease had thrown at her. As I am writing this story, Michele is so far 4 days on from the Transplant and is doing extremely well, despite the pain she is in. Today is the first time I got to speak to her properly, she is still very weak physically but mentally and as always very strong! This is just a short summary of what Michele has had to endure over these last 5 years, for a woman of her age she has faced this condition with courage and dignity. I remember her telling me early on in her diagnosis that she had gone to see a GP at her local surgery and he ignorantly commented on her illness, his exact words being…. “oh, a drinker are we?”. She was very upset by this. PBC is not related in anyway to alcohol abuse. If you want to find out more about the condition you can click on the link on the left hand side of my web page and you will be directed to the PBC Foundation Website. The PBC Foundation are the amazing charity that do research into the disease which has caused my sister all of this suffering over the years and would not be able to function without the generous donations from the public. I am please asking you help me in my quest to raise at least £800 to donate towards this charity, even the smallest of donations all add up. Thank you for taking the time to read this and hopefully some of my sister’s strength and courage will help to complete my 26.2 mile journey around London on the 25th April.
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