Thanks for visiting my page.
I am running the London Marathon on the 25th April this year in aid of a charity, BackCare, and aim to raise a minimum amount of £1500 in sponsorship. I have not run a marathon before and am finding the prospect of running 26.2 miles rather daunting, but I am doing it for an excellent cause and am hopeful that you will be able to sponsor me.
What do BackCare do?
BackCare is a national charity that aims to reduce the impact of back pain on society by providing information, support, promoting good practice and funding research. BackCare acts as a hub between patients, (healthcare) professionals, employers, policy makers, researchers and all others with an interest in back pain. www.backcare.org.uk
Why am I running for BackCare?
In February 2009 I suffered a herniated (slipped) disc which left me fairly incapacitated for several weeks. Not knowing much about back injuries, I thought that I had some severe back pain and would quickly recover after a couple of weeks lying on the floor. As many of you know, this actually wasn't the case and the injury was a lot more severe than I, or my local GP realised. Unbeknownst to me the slipped disc was causing massive nerve damage and was a couple of weeks away from causing paralysis of one of my feet. I wound up in hospital having emergency surgery to remove part of the disc and stop my nerves deteriorating any further at the beginning of April 2009.
I was lucky as I managed to see a Neurosurgeon who immediately recognised the problem. I only ended up with a big scar down my back and I’m glad to say that the nerve damage seems to be repairing itself. However, many people are not so fortunate and do not seek treatment in time, or just ‘put up with it’ leading to long term damage. BackCare aims to change this, and also help people understand their back problems and ways to manage them.
The sponsorship I will raise will considerably help the 30 million people who suffer from back pain every year. Backs are not seen as a 'sexy' cause - there are no children or puppies associated with this charity. However whilst you can't die from back pain, it is possible to be tortured by it on a daily basis. Imagine the back spasm that everyone has suffered from at one time or another either happening on a regular basis or constantly for the rest of your life. I only had it for 2 months before surgery and it was really quite miserable.
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or spam you. 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 taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
Thank you for reading and for your donation.
Simon
