Story
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-size: small;">My name is Damian Brine, and I have been lucky enough to receive a golden bond charity place to run the London Marathon on April 17<sup>th</sup> 2011, on behalf of LUPUS UK. <br />My wife Lucy was diagnosed two years ago with Lupus, before that I had never even heard of the disease. However Lupus is a disease that affects some 50,000 people in Britain. <span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Lupus is a chronic and presently-incurable illness of the immune system, a condition in which the body's defense mechanism begins to attack itself. A</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">lmost any organ or system within the body can be affected.<br />Lupus can often be overlooked by a GP or consultant which may delay final diagnosis and a vital start to necessary treatment</span>, of which Lucy knows all too well, as she nearly died from ongoing </span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-size: small;">misdiagnosis.<br />I am raising money on behalf LUPUS UK to help with research, and to spread awareness of the disease so fewer people have to go through what Lucy went through before receiving the correct diagnosis and treatment. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <br /></span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-size: small;">26.2 miles is a really, really long way to walk, let alone run. I am not what you would call a </span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-size: small;">runner, never have been. For any one that knows me, I am certainly not designed for it.<br /></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-size: small;">Short and wide with dodgy knees and ankles, I am the exact opposite of the stereotypical runner. <br /></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-size: small;">But I see how strong Lucy is when some days it is almost impossible for her to even get out </span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-size: small;">of bed, let alone deal with the whole day ahead. So no matter how hard the training, and </span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-size: small;">how much it hurts, I will not give up. If my legs fall off I will crawl across the finishline - or bribe someone to give me a piggyback...</span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoListBulletCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt; tab-stops: 36.0pt; mso-list: none;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I need to raise a minimum of £1,000.00, so any donation you can make, no matter how </span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-size: small;">small will make a huge difference.</span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoListBulletCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt; tab-stops: 36.0pt; mso-list: none;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-size: small;">Thank you for taking the time to read my fundraising page!</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoListBulletCxSpLast" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 18pt; tab-stops: 36.0pt; mso-list: none;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-size: small;">Damian.</span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"> Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.</p>
<p>So please dig deep and donate now.</p>
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