On Sunday 21st April 2024, I’ll be running the London Marathon.

I've decided to do this to raise money for Autistica, a charity that do some fantastic work towards the research and diagnosis of Autism, they're an organisation that would've helped families across the UK to improve the quality of life and accessibility to the appropriate support and treatment needed as early as possible.

Autism is something that for me personally was always a condition I’d heard of but didn't really know much more, you hear the label of "on the spectrum" used so often but that was as far as it went. This all changed a couple of years ago when my younger brother was going through Primary school and he was diagnosed with ADHD, a widely known condition causing people to struggle with attention and hyperactivity- or as he was seen, "naughty & disruptive".

For Louis, it wasn't just about trying to channel his energy and focus on a task but also being able to connect with people, understanding their emotions, along with the need for a physical touch to allow him to feel at ease. He'd always found it difficult to understand when people were visibly upset and would even act as if nothing was happening. This was what led to our family pushing for further support (which took 4 years) and ultimately leading to him being diagnosed with Autism, now Louis was diagnosed aged 10, just before going through the biggest change he'd ever experienced moving from a little local primary school he knew so well, into year 7 in a new area with so much to take in. It was at this point for me that I decided I wanted to support Autistica and do something to try and help others, for most children going through this transition is full of excitement, the thought of going to "big" school with your mates, for Louis it couldn't be further from­­ the truth. For months he felt anxious, didn't like the  idea of change and not having people around him that he was used to.

Louis is what they would call mildl­y autistic, meaning that he still has various neurological barriers however, is able to verbally communicate. This doesn't always mean that he'll open up and tell you what is wrong or, how he's feeling. But it does mean that he's able to talk about Go Karting and Gaming, two of his favourite things to do.

So if you've ran a marathon before and have any handy tips, please let me know as I'm going to need it!  

Jordan x