So I finally decided to take the plunge and sign up for my first (and probably my last) full marathon. I'll be 45 this year, so it's now or never, right? 12 weeks of preparatory training completed; 18 weeks of hard training lie ahead before I take to the streets of Edinburgh on May 24th. Along the way I will also be running the Cambridge Half Marathon on March 8th and the Coventry Half Marathon on 5th April, so if you don't feel quite ready to sponsor me for the full marathon, you could always opt for one of the shorter distances.

So why the Royal Papworth Hospital? And Why the DCD Transplantation Fund? The answer is Dave. 

Our good friend Dave is one of the nearly 300 people in Britain currently waiting for a heart transplant. Problem is that there aren't that many spare hearts around. Most people only have the one, and they're still using it, so finding suitable donor hearts is absolutely critical for Dave and people like him. 

Here is some information about the specific DCD transplantation fund I am supporting and the amazing work the team at Royal Papworth Hospital do:

In response to the worldwide shortage of donor hearts for transplantation, a research team at Royal Papworth Hospital, supported by Royal Papworth Hospital Charity has developed a new technique that significantly increases the number of hearts available for transplantation.

The research shows that heart transplants from a new group
of potential donors – known as DCD transplantation or ‘Non-Beating Heart Transplantation’ – could save hundreds of lives internationally as the heart transplant waiting list continues to grow. This innovative technique had enabled surgeons at Royal Papworth Hospital to utilise donor hearts which were previously considered too damaged to transplant.

Unfortunately every year, hundreds of patients still die through the lack of available organs for transplantation. This new procedure has enabled Royal Papworth Hospital to increase the number of people receiving
a heart transplant at Royal Papworth Hospital by almost 40% over the last four years.

 Each and every life saved through this ground-breaking procedure has been made possible through the generous donations of Royal Papworth Hospital supporters and we can only continue with further charitable support.

Royal Papworth Hospital has always ensured that it puts patients and their families at the heart of everything it does. The Charity is
committed to supporting patients and their carers and seeks to enhance the support it provides to the Hospital. Charitable funds have enabled the Hospital to provide care beyond that of NHS funding alone, enhancing the Hospital’s status as the UK’s leading provider of specialist cardiothoracic care and the country’s main heart and lung transplant centre.