Now, if you are here you'll no doubt know I have recently secured myself a place in the first Brighton Marathon on 18th April 2010.

It is Brighton's first and it is my first!!

As you'll also know, I am not an incredibly sporty person and I am certainly no runner, so why do this?

In August 2009 I received a phone call from cousin of mine who lives in Croatia, who in turn received a somewhat strange phone call from a friend of his brother Mario, who lives in Denmark. My cousin doesn't speak English or Danish, but he could understand enough as the words rolled, "Mario... accident... hospital..."

As much as he didn't want to panic, he did and as much as I didn't want to panic...

I promised to find out more as he was stuck and wasn't able to get any more information as Mario's phone remained silent. What ensued was me phoning and emailing around frantically, trying to get in touch with Mario's friends, trying to get through to anyone who could tell me what was happening.

As I was waiting for some response from somewhere memories were rolling in my head... us riding around on his motorbike, him giving us surfing lessons, then barbeques and dancing around every single night as he was really enjoying our visit, even the washout experience of Copenhagen. 

And I was thinking how... how he's never still...

Then the phone call was finally answered with the dreaded "He broke his spine..."

Mario didn't want his parents to know just yet, he wanted to tell them himself after the operation, he wanted to soften the blow. He knew this was his mother's worst fear... Our grandmother had a tumour on her spine and spent the last 10 years of her life paralysed...

Mario was operated on, he was unconscious for two weeks and when he finally came around he listened to the doctors tell him he'll never walk again and he said, "Ok, that's that, life goes on... I go forward"

I went to see him in late September just as he woke up and what can I say... He blew me away, he was larger than life, he was planning ahead, he was being practical, he was "going forward"...

He changed my perspective, he inspired me to challenge myself, to be more... to do anything, to be anything!

I'm running this marathon for Mario and in the hope that one day he will get a chance to run his own...

I'm running it for my grandma whose life motto was "It's gonna be somehow!" ("Bice nekako!") and it always was... somehow...

and I'm running it for myself (and according to my 'running bible' this is really important bit, so :)

And believe you me, if I can run a marathon than anything is possible!! And I will...  I am!!! 

Please support me by making a donation to Spinal Research, please give hope to many.

It might be too late for my grandma but your donation might spell different future for Mario and for others with spinal cord injury - please help make that difference!

Spinal Research is a pioneering charity, whose aim is to find ways to repair spinal cord injury and reverse the paralysis that results from it. Recognised as a leader in its field, Spinal Research funds groundbreaking projects at scientific and medical institutions around the world. Whilst each accident has overwhelming consequences for the individual, the total number affected is not large enough for government funding, so they need your donations to continue their work. The next landmark is the launch of clinical trials with paralysed volunteers. These trials will test innovative treatments that could repair damage in the human spinal cord, and so restore sensation and movement.

Find more information at  http://www.spinal-research.org/ 

Please dig deep and donate now.

A Thousand Thanks

Suzana

ps. If you'd prefer to make an offline donation please get in touch with me and I'll forward relevant sponsorship form to you.