<p>Our daughter Alannah is a healthy, bubbly three year old. She has forgotten the series of cardiac arrests which almost ended her life when she was 2 weeks old, a period which changed our lives forever. Those who know our family know the story, and this short note is not written to play on emotion, but to achieve something practical.</p> <p><a href="http://www.cosmiccharity.com/">COSMIC</a> is the charity that centralises fund raising for equipment and research at the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at St. Mary's hospital*. Believe me - as a parent, you never want to be in PICU.. but if your child is critically ill, this is exactly where you want to be. As well as the intensive care unit, they run a world leading research team and have made key breakthroughs for treatment of life threatening childhood illnessses.</p> <p>The team operates not in a remote academic world, but is using science to cure people in the most direct way possible - with real patients in the PICU at St Mary's and with the close co-operation of their families.</p> <p><br>We owe them more than money could ever pay for - but money is what is needed now. I'm running the London marathon to raise funds for COSMIC. Please sponsor me. Please give whatever you can.</p> <p>Amy</p> <p>---------------------------------------------------------<br>* For charity sceptics.. They have a good track record for spending money well.. this after all is where Sir Alexander Fleming discovered Penicillin.</p>