Story
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<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 15.0px 0.0px; font: 15.0px Arial;">Hello,</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 15.0px 0.0px; font: 15.0px Arial;">I'm very excited to have won a place to run in this year's London Marathon and I've chosen to support a charity that is close to my heart: the Royal Free Charity (Fund 270) which provides free massage therapy for patients at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 15.0px 0.0px; font: 15.0px Arial;">Being in hospital is no joke. First, there's the pain that so often comes with illness and treatment. Then there's the indignity of being poked and prodded by medical staff and of having to live with complete strangers whilst dressed in a gown and paper pants. There's the knock to your confidence that comes with an altered body-image and a loss of independence, along with a sadness at being away from home. Lastly, there's the fear and uncertainty which imbues everything. Being in hospital is de-humanising; massage helps patients feel like people again. </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 15.0px 0.0px; font: 15.0px Arial;">The most common remark about the massage is that it is "soothing." The comfort of human touch is like a balm that gently softens the edges of that horrible 'being in hospital' experience and, for a time at least, it helps people to feel better.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 15.0px 0.0px; font: 15.0px Arial;">The service was set up in 1993 to offer free 15 minute massages to people receiving treatment for cancer. Since then the service has grown significantly and last year it provided nearly 22,000 massages to people throughout the hospital including:</p>
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<li style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 15.0px 0.0px; font: 15.0px Arial;">elderly people who have broken bones in a fall or who have dementia</li>
<li style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 15.0px 0.0px; font: 15.0px Arial;">people waiting for or recovering from liver and kidney transplants</li>
<li style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 15.0px 0.0px; font: 15.0px Arial;">people who've had a stroke, a brain injury or who have Parkinson's Disease or MS</li>
<li style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 15.0px 0.0px; font: 15.0px Arial;">women who are pregnant or who have just given birth</li>
<li style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 15.0px 0.0px; font: 15.0px Arial;">children and teenagers with eating disorders</li>
<li style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 15.0px 0.0px; font: 15.0px Arial;">and people of all ages with cancer, including breast, brain, prostate, leukaemia and lymphoma.</li>
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<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 15.0px 0.0px; font: 15.0px Arial;">It's a wonderful service that makes a real difference to people's experience of being in hospital. It is funded entirely through donations which is why I've chosen to support it by running the marathon. I hope you will choose to support it by sponsoring me.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 15.0px 0.0px; font: 15.0px Arial;">Thank you.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 15.0px 0.0px; font: 15.0px Arial;">Kimberley</p>
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<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 15.0px 0.0px; font: 15.0px Arial;">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 style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 15.0px 0.0px; font: 15.0px Arial;">So please dig deep and donate now.</p>
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