Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

I am running the London Marathon in memory of my best friend Ellen Bettaney.

Ellen was diagnosed with Churg Strauss Syndrome (CSS) in summer 2012, after nearly 3 years of being in and out of the doctors and hospital with respiratory problems.Sadly Ellen passed away in October last year and although her death was not connected to the disease, we all, particularly Ellen found the extended diagnosis process very stressful. It is this huge period of uncertain diagnosis that I am hoping I will be able to help to narrow by spreading awareness of this rare disease.

CSS is a form of vasculitis, an inflammation of the blood vessels which occurs particularly in the lungs. The cause is as yet unknown. When Ellen found out her diagnosis in 2012 she emailed me to say:

“They think I've got Churg Strauss Syndrome :( On the plus side, if I work out how I caught it, they say there's a Nobel prize in it for me”

Many of the symptoms are non-specific and include fever, muscle and joint aches, tiredness, loss of appetite and weight loss. It is common for the lungs to be affected in CSS either by asthma or sometimes by more direct inflammation of the blood vessels causing breathlessness.

The disease itself is not fatal and with early diagnosis and treatment, can be manageable but the time that passes between symptoms and diagnosis can be very distressing for many.

It’s for these reasons that I have decided to raise money, in Ellen’s name, for Vasculitis UK. Vasculitis UK aim to help educate people with vasculitis about their illness, to raise general awareness and to improve diagnosis and treatment of vasculitis. They work on the philosophy that knowledge of their illness empowers patients to have control of the disease and its treatment. Vasculitis UK is run by people with vasculitis for people with vasculitis and for their families and carers and I hope that the money that I raise can help them to help people like Elle in future.

Any money that you can spare would be greatly received.

For more information please visit:

http://www.vasculitis.org.uk/about-vasculitis/churg-strauss-syndrome

or

http://www.vasculitis.org.uk/

Thanks for your time.

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.