<p>Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.</p> <p>My Goddaughter, Ava, was born with a tethered spinal cord, a form of spina bifida.&nbsp; Without surgery over time the spinal cord can become stretched and cause permanent nerve damage to the legs, bladder and bowel.&nbsp; Last month, at 8 months old, Ava had a seven hour operation to remove the fatty tissue surrounding her spinal cord.&nbsp; The doctors managed to remove 95% of the fat and believe that the remaining 5% will hopefully&nbsp;not cause any further damage.&nbsp; Ava will continue to be be closely monitored at the hospital for bowel and bladder function and have physio for a slightly weaker left leg.</p> <p>I am cycling from London to Brighton (54 miles)&nbsp;in a couple of weeks and&nbsp;have decided to raise money for the Red Cross War Memorial&nbsp;Childrens Hospital in Cape Town.&nbsp;It&nbsp;is a state run hospital which survives on donations and offers its excellent service for sick children regardless of social status across South and Southern Africa.&nbsp;</p> <p>As there is no direct South African charity for Spina Bifida&nbsp;I have decided to raise money for the hospital where Ava was operated and continues treatment.&nbsp;&nbsp;I feel it is something small&nbsp;I can do for Abbi, Lee and Francis as i was not able to help them physically&nbsp;(as South Africa is quite far away!) during this time and to let them and Ava know that I am always thinking of them.&nbsp; Four years ago this operation would not&nbsp;have&nbsp;taken place in South Africa.&nbsp; By raising money for the hospital it will enable further research into the condition and help the hospital continue to offer world-class facilities for such surgery.</p> <p>Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving &ndash; they&rsquo;ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they&rsquo;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&rsquo;s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.</p>