I'd always said I'd never do a full distance triathlon (for my non triathlete friends it's a 3800m swim, 180km bike and a marathon to finish it off) as I like to race hard, and, well, a whole day of 'racing' just didn't appeal to what I love about triathlon and competition. But the old saying 'never say never' is definitely true and here I am preparing for Challenge Roth!

So what has caused my change of heart and got me to sign up to Challenge Roth?

A client of mine who has become a good friend (James, aka Hatch) had the misfortune to require the services of GOSH when his 15 year old daughter Emma suffered sudden and unexpected heart failure. James and his family lived in the hospital for 102 days while surgeons, doctors and nurses battled to save Emma, she battled hard, received a heart transplant when her own heart could not be saved, but sadly passed away after a long fight. Since then James has become a dedicated fundraiser for the Great Ormond Street Children's Charity and has now set the goal of raising £100,000 (!!) for GOSH by taking part in Roth 2018 with a team of friends.

I've had the chance to visit the hospital, meet doctors and nurses that work at GOSH, and parents who have had to live in the hospital while their children are seriously ill, and I've learnt about the real difference the money raised by the charity makes. Money raised by the charity is used in some of the following ways:

• pioneering research to tackle childhood illnesses.
• obtaining the most up to date equipment to ensure children have the least invasive and most effective treatments.
• to modernise and redevelop wards, meaning more children can be cared for, and that they are cared for in child-friendly environments.
• to build family facilities so that those families who are 'living' in the hospital can have as normal a life as possible while they are there, such as sleeping in a bed next to their child not a chair; or so they can shower and freshen up at the hospital and not have to go home to wash.

I know many of you will know me as a triathlete and think that this isn't much of a challenge for me, but I can assure you it will be (and I am definitely only ever doing one of these!). The thought of racing for over 10 hours (being optimistic here!) and running my first marathon! is a daunting prospect. But having visited the hospital, seen the children's wards and spoken with the doctors doing their best to help these sick children, I can't think of a more worthy cause to raise money for.

I am honoured to be part of James' team and raise money for this incredible hospital and they work they do for sick children and their families. Anything you can do to support Great Ormond Street Hospital would be wonderful.

Thank you in advance for your support.
Kat

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. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.