Dear ........

It has been a personal, life-long ambition to run the London Marathon which, in 2010, will coincide with the 15^th anniversary of my diagnosis with Type 1 Diabetes in April 1995. However all reminiscing was recently eclipsed by the tragic diagnosis of my youngest brother, Gus, in September 2009. The dire circumstances of the disease hit our family like nothing else before and inspired me to make a difference. Gus and I owe a debt of gratitude that we can never repay to our long suffering family and friends who have helped us through the ups and downs. As a result, in an attempt to help find a cure for Diabetes, on , I will be running the Virgin London Marathon in aid of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

The JDRF was founded in 1986 and has raised over £700 million worldwide on its dedicated mission to fund scientific research into a cure specifically targeted at Type 1 Diabetes in young people. I cannot stress the crucial importance of every penny as you contribute to raise vital funds towards finding a cure for the millions of young sufferers in the UK struck by the chronic, life-threatening strains of the disease which has a life-long impact on is victims and their families.

Type 1 Diabetes has been dubbed as the ‘biggest global health challenge of the 21^st century.’ The disease normally strikes people below the age of 25 and has a staggering strike rate which rose this year by over 50%. Similarly, in 2007 there were 100,000 new diagnoses and in 2008 150,000. The disease cripples its victims by destroying the insulin distributing cells in the pancreas subjecting them to a life-long dependence on insulin by injection. Since my diagnosis, I have given myself more than 26,000 injections and done over 32,000 blood tests. Despite a seriously affected lifestyle restrained by dietary and nutritional limitations, as it matures, the disease has detrimental ulterior health impacts such as, heart disease, blindness, brain disease and a 15 year shorter lifespan than the average man. In the , more than 3.5 million people have Diabetes and amongst them, it causes 300 heart attacks per week.

This shuddering empirical evidence is enough to convince anyone about the horrific circumstances which this disease inflicts. We are unbelievably lucky to have the best support possible, but some are not so lucky. It is our job to give everything to help these sufferers, to improve lives and make a difference. In the , one new diabetic is diagnosed every three minutes. It could be you, it could be your children. Please dig deep.

Lots of love,

 

 

Marathon Log:

08/01/10 - I read this morning, over breakfast, after a beautiful 2hr training run in the white, English countryside, a few rather interesting facts about the disease which inhabits my body. It is the most common cause of amputation worldwide - forcing 100 amputations/week. A diabetic is 20x more likely to go blind. Here is the big one - wait for it - the NHS spends more than 10% of its total budget on diabetes. £9bn per year, £173m a week, £25m a day, £1m an hour, £17,000 a minute, £286 a second. Let's beat it.

 

 

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

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.