Thank you very much to all of you for your magnificent support with my fundraising efforts. A special thanks of course, must go to those who have sponsored me and donated money to Brain and Spine Foundation.

I completed the 13 mile distance on Sunday (2^nd September) and managed to beat my goal of two hours…….just. I completed the Great Scottish Run in a time of one hour, 59 minutes and 33 seconds. Coach Ross had promised to double his donation if I got under the two hours, so yet more mothballs will be getting removed from his wallet!

All the donations inspired me to keep up with my training and struggle through that last mile or so. When I crossed that line, I realised that it had all been worth it and hopefully people can benefit from the money that has been raised.

But I’m never, ever, running again!

Debby

P.S. A special thank you must go to Andrew Nugent, who ran alongside me for the whole race. God only knows how he managed to put up with me, but he was a massive help. Thanks Nuge

And to my folks, Cheryl, Jo, Sam and of course Ross for giving up their morning to cheer me on!!

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Thank you for visiting my fundraising page. On the 2nd of September I will be running in the Great Scottish Run, an annual half-marathon that takes place in Glasgow.

The reason I am participating in the run is to raise money for the Brain and Spine Foundation, a charity close to my heart.

In March of last year my boyfriend, Ross Lafferty, was run over by a car and suffered a life-threatening head injury. He was in a coma immediately and suffered multiple haemorrhages and scattered bruising on the brain. I was unsure what this meant and the medical staff can only prepare you for the worst case scenario, as the brain is so complex two people can suffer almost identical injuries and make totally different recoveries.

I was naïve as to what lay ahead, in terms of rehabilitation. I honestly thought getting him out of hospital would mean that he was better, but it was only the start of a long road. Brain injuries are frustrating, as from the outside it’s hard to see anything wrong – once his facial bruising had faded it was hard to even convince Ross he was ill!

Despite this occurring well over a year ago Ross has still not fully recovered and experiences some symptoms of the injury on a daily basis. However, his recovery period was estimated at 18 months so hopefully by September, fingers’ crossed, I’ll have my Ross back.

I have challenged myself to run the 13 miles in Glasgow as it will surely be easy compared to the last 18 months. During this period two other people we know suffered brain injuries. Lawrence Ihle, a friend and business colleague of Ross's dad Gerry, required surgery after a car accident while Leon Mkangama, a friend of Ross's from the football, suffered a stroke. Thankfully both are recovering well.

Before these accidents occurred my only previous experience of brain trauma was when my best friend, Cheryl Anderson, lost her mum, Jean, to a brain haemorrhage. Some people are not as lucky as Ross was.

That is why I am raising money for the Brain and Spine Foundation. For all the brain is the most important part of the human body, very little is known about it, diseases and conditions that affect it, and what can be done to help it recover from injury. It is important that research is funded and people are educated and made aware of problems that are sometimes invisible to the naked eye.

Please help the Brain and Spine Foundation achieve these goals by sponsoring me for this run. All donations will be greatly appreciated 

Thank you for your support