Hi, thank you all for taking the time to look at my charity page, I really do appreciate it. As most of you are aware I am a fan of running (some might call jogging) and have had the running bug now for 3 years! For the 2nd time I have chosen to run London Marathon, yes all 26.2 (sweating) miles, but there is a real reason this time for doing it, not for me to break any world records, but for my nephew Joshua. I have been lucky enough to receive a gold place from a charity that is extremely close to my heart, 'Epilepsy Action'. I want and need to raise as much money as I possibly can, if you read below you will find out the reasons why ..........

Joshua Hill was born in March 2011 and soon after was diagnosed with a very rare form of epilepsy known as Ohtahara Syndrome.This is a progressive illness which affects the brain and any development will be delayed. A part of this disorder causes him to suffer from seizures. In the early days before he was diagnosed and correct medicines administered Joshua would be having up to 200 seizures a day which presented as him constantly arching his back in discomfort. These seizures have progressed and are now managed better by medicine to the lower regions of 10 to 20 a day which look like tummy crunches, however no 2 days are alike in his life in terms of how his illness presents itself.

The outlook for Joshua is not great as he is not expected to reach his 2nd birthday, and as such he is unlikely to learn to walk or talk. Joshua's movements are very limited and as a result he is very susceptible to chest infections, he has in part lost his ability to clear excess secretions through swallowing and has to cough these out to avoid further infection. He is unable to feed orally and as such all milk feeds and medicines go via a nasal gastric tube direct into his stomach.

He is supported by Oxygen 24/7, is on different medications for his condition and as such it does make things difficult to get out, given the need to carry oxygen tanks and suctioning machines for even very short car journeys, never mind a walk out with the pram. Considering all of these things he has to cope with he rarely cries, causes a fuss, he is our brave boy.

 
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.

Lots of Love

Gail xxx  

(Finished London in 4hrs 21mins in 2010)