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Jacqueline Richardson   As many of you know, Jacqueline was both my wife and partner. She was special to many in a variety of ways. This year I am running the London Marathon in her memory with the aim of raising funds for the Vasculitis team at Addenbrooke’s Hospital Cambridge.   Jacqueline contracted a rare auto immune disease called Polyarteritis Nodosa (PAN) which features spontaneous inflammation of the arteries – a form of vasculitis – and can affect any organ of the body. In the later stages of her illness her condition was further complicated by the onset of Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (TTP) which is a rare blood disorder that causes blood clots to form in small blood vessels throughout the body, and leads to a low platelet count.  The clots can limit or block the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the body's organs, such as the brain, kidneys, and heart.   Despite seeing numerous consultants Jacqueline’s vasculitis went undiagnosed for 6 months until eventually she fell ill on a business trip in Cambridge. It was only then that the cause of her illness was discovered thanks to a very bright A&E doctor and the vasculitis team at Addenbrooke’s Hospital.   The vasculitis team at Addenbrooke’s were tremendous in their efforts to treat Jacqueline’s condition which transpires to have been a very rare illness and for which a lot further research is needed.   The team, under Dr David Jayne - and part of the Department of Renal Medicine - are among the world’s leaders in research into these conditions but as you can imagine they are always looking to raise money to fund such research. While medical science has found ways of controlling such conditions, knowledge of their causes and cures remains illusive.   I cannot praise highly enough the care, commitment and expertise with which Jacqueline was treated. The doctors at Addenbrooke’s could not have done more  and I would like to acknowledge this by helping the unit to raise funds to further their research and to raise awareness of this disease. Running the London Marathon I have a chance to do a bit of fund raising in Jacqueline’s memory and hopefully help to ease or save the lives of others.   A number of you were kind enough to make donations to the Vasculitis Unit at the time of Jacqueline’s death. Through your generosity a donation of £806,75 was received by the unit in Jacqueline’s memory. Including donations to ‘The Pines’ a total of over £2,000 was donated in Jacqueline’s memory. For you, this is a thank you and for information only. I am not expecting that you will necessarily wish to donate again. It is simply that an opportunity has presented itself for me to do this one thing in the name of a truly unique and memorable person, someone who was very special to me. This truly is my last marathon and I’d like to make it count.    Thank you so much for all your support – before and now – it means so much.   Charles

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