Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Between 24th February and 24th March 2013 I will be running five half marathons to honour the life of a very special little girl - Rowan Macie Poole.

Rowan had a condition called Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), which is an inherited neuromuscular condition that impairs the link between the spinal cord and muscles.  She was diagnosed as Type 1b.  SMA Type 1 is the most severe, and 80% of babies diagnosed as Type 1 are not expected to live past their first birthday.  Despite her illness, Rowan remained joyful, brave and adventurous, captivating everyone who met her.

Rowan died peacefully at home on 23rd November 2012, aged just 18 months.  In memory of her too short, but amazing life, I will be running a half marathon every Sunday for a month:

24/02/13 - Cornwall Fire & Rescue Service (Bodmin)
03/03/13 - Bath
10/03/13 - Milton Keynes
17/03/13 - Stafford
24/03/13 - Forest of Dean

I'm expecting this to be tough, but I'll be inspired by the bravery and tenacity that Rowan showed during her life. 

Your donation would mean an incredible amount to me, and Rowan's family, and will be going towards funding research into this devastating, and currently incurable and untreatable illness.

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.