Thanks for visiting my fundraising page.
I shall be taking part in the Dublin Marathon on 26th October 2009. This will be in aid of a friend of the family, Adam Stephenson, and more specifically the Neimann Pick charity. Here is a little more about Adam from his mum Ann:
'Adam is 21 years old and last year was the 71st person in the United Kingdom to be diagnosed with Neimann Pick Disease type C. Up until the age of 15 Adam appeared to be just like his brothers and sister, football mad and a keen chef. Then puberty struck and Adam suddenly began to find some words difficult to say. This became worse and he was also finding it difficult to cope with things that he had previously taken in his stride. At first his mum thought that Adam was behaving like a lazy teenager and just not bothering to pronounce his words properly. Then suddenly, just after his 17th birthday, Adam suffered a seizure which left him with a marked deterioration in his limb movements and not able to move his eyes downwards. The football had to stop as Adam could no longer run fast without falling over and he was forced to give up a catering course at college because of his lack of co-ordination. There was to follow 3 long, long years of investigations before Adam was finally diagnosed by a Consultant neurologist at Newcastle Hospital, who then referred him to a consultant in genetic disorders in Manchester.
Adam has accepted his condition well. He works part time at a McDonalds. His greatest interest seems to be socialising with his mates, drinking and fishing, and driving his mum up the wall, just like any other young man. He has recently been offered a brand new treatment which is not a cure but will hopefully stabalise his condition for as long as possible enabling him to live his life as fully as possible. With his wonderful 'this is my life, lets get on with living it' attitude, and beautiful smile, Adam is an inspiration to everyone he meets.'
The trip to Dublin (along with the plasters, vaseline, lucozade, sore nipples and Guinness) will be paid by myself so every single penny donated will benefit this small but massively worthwhile charity.
Donating through this site is totally secure with Niemann Pick receiving your money faster with gift aid also being claimed for your donation.
I hope to raise as much money as possible and thank you greatly in advance for your sponsorship.
