Thanks for taking the time to visit our Big Walk JustGiving page.  Karen, Helen and Dawn work in The School of Education.  Dawn's mum has recently been diagnosed with PAH and we would like to help raise funds for research into this condition.

The Big Walk combines two key events. The Pennine Way and the One Day Walking Challenge.  21 alumni, staff and friends will walk the full Pennine Way (including Edale to Sheffield) covering 286 miles in 15 days. On the final day the One Day Challenge will see over 100 individuals from the University walk from Edale to Sheffield covering over 18 miles.

We are doing this to raise funds for Lung Disease research at the University of Sheffield, specifically our leading research in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension - a life–threatening condition affecting the lungs and the right side of the heart.

Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) is a rare but devastating condition. Sadly, most of the 500 or so patients diagnosed annually in the UK die from progressive heart failure within 5 years.  This is a worse prognosis than most cancers, and although medical therapies can alleviate symptoms and, at best, slow progression there is currently no cure for PAH.

PAH begins when tiny arteries in the lungs become narrowed or blocked. This puts an enormous strain on the heart as it works harder to pump blood through the lungs. PAH is a very serious condition that becomes progressively worse, causing the heart muscle to weaken and eventually fail.

It is this strain on the heart and decrease in the blood through the lungs that causes the majority of symptoms such as breathlessness, fainting, racing pulse and weakness which can significantly affect quality of life. As the disease worsens it becomes difficult for individuals to carry out even normal activities. Ultimately, the disease is fatal without a lung transplant.

Sheffield is a major international centre for the diagnosis, treatment and research of this condition. We are already making exciting discoveries that we hope will lead to better treatments and ultimately defeat this condition. The money we raise from this event will accelerate our research and help us to develop and test new treatments and make them available for patients as quickly as possible.

Thank you for supporting the Big Walk, together we can make a real difference to the lives of people with pulmonary arterial hypertension.

More information about The Big Walk can be found at www.shef.ac.uk/big-walk

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