Believe it or not, I wasn't going to fundraise for this year's London Marathon. In fact, I wasn't even planning on running the London Marathon, but in December I won a competition place to run the marathon again (after saying emphatically 'Never again!'). 

With your help, I raised close to £800 last year for Ataxia UK, which is a debilitating illness that has affected my brother for many years. 

I've decided only today that this year I want to run the marathon in aid of Epilepsy Research UK. A couple of years ago, my mum began to be affected by seizures. As my brother's full-time carer, it was a frightening time for her, and for me it was heartbreaking watching her lose her independence, particularly as she had to surrender her driving licence. She now relies on dad to drive her around, or public transport. 

Today however, I heard that my brother had suffered from an epileptic fit this weekend and as a result had ended up in hospital. He's home again now, but will have to undergo some testing to confirm the diagnosis and hopefully medicate to prevent this happening again. The thing that broke my heart the most was hearing how scared my mum now feels, at the fear of this happening to him again, and worse, the stress of this triggering another seizure for mum. 

I feel so helpless, so this fundraising effort is my small gesture of offering something useful. Your donations will fund research into Epilepsy; maybe help somebody find a cure so that my family can live their life a little easier. Thank you for taking the time to read our story. 

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