Thankyou for visiting my page!

On October 21st I will be running the BUPA Great Birmingham Run, which is a half marathon. Despite being a regular runner I have never done a half marathon before and never indeed run this far and so it will be a challenge for me! I am training hard and trying to run a fast time too. Also, on the 23rd September I am aiming to complete my first ever triathlon, despite having not swum properly for several years until now!

The charity I have chosen to support during my autumn endeavours is a brilliant charity, and one that is close to my heart, called The Smile Train.

170,000 children in the world are born with a cleft lip and palate (a facial defect where the mouth does not form properly in the womb. One or two operations are needed for it to be corrected) each year. I was one of the 170,000. I was also one of the few who received operations to repair this when I was 4 months, and 1 year old. I was lucky enough to have this surgery done free-of-charge by the NHS which allowed me to live a normal life like any other child.

However in many underdeveloped countries, children born with a cleft are not as lucky. They can often not afford surgery and because of this they have to face the social stigma of living with a cleft. They are often unable to go to school or attain a job. Worse though is the chance that they will either be abandoned or killed after birth, or die from infection because they do not have access to healthcare. Also, shockingly from 2002-2011, 22 babies here in the UK were aborted before birth simply because they were going to be born with a cleft.

Just £150 can pay for a child to have the necessary surgery to allow them to survive, and live a normal life.

My target is £150 because if I can help just one child have an improved life like I had then it will be worthwhile.

Thankyou for your help x

 

ps you can find out more about The Smile Train at http://www.smiletrain.org.uk/