As many of you are aware, I seem to specialise in running marathons badly. This year is no exception- and with a characteristic lack of training done once again, I just know its going to hurt. Despite this, for the first time ever, I am going to try to raise money for charity and am determined to cross that line. I have already paid for flights and entry to the 2010 New York Marathon, so every penny I raise will be donated to my chosen charities.

I would like to raise awareness of and funding for a little known disease called PSC. Any money I raise will be split 50/50 between the charity PSC Support and the Liver Unit at Queen Elizabeth Birmingham.

Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC) is a chronic progressive rare liver disease whose cause and cure is unknown, advancing toward cirrhosis and sometimes liver failure.

At present there is no cure for PSC, apart from liver transplantation for patients at advanced stages of the disease. Unfortunately this is an area of medical research that does not attract much government funding.

About my charities

PSC- Support: is a small registered charity in the UK which is run solely by volunteers. This means that there are no overheads, so every donation makes a BIG impact. It gives much needed information and support to sufferers of PSC. It runs seminars and an online forum which is used by thousands of members.

Liver Unit QE Birmingham: This liver unit has a number of key PSC and Liver experts based here. Prof. James Neuberger (the UK's Associate Medical Director of Organ Donation and Transplantation) and Prof. David Adams (key researcher in the area of PSC) are based here, and have been supportive of the efforts of PSC-Support and the Q&A sessions and seminars they run every few months.

Even if you do not wish to donate to the charities above, it would be great if you could consider becoming an organ donor. You can do this for free at the address below:

http://www.organdonation.nhs.uk/ukt/how_to_become_a_donor/how_to_become_a_donor.jsp 

You never know when you or a loved one might need an organ.

 

Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir,

Éimhín