<p><span style="color: #003366;">Hello and welcome to my West Midlands Lupus Group page.</span></p> <p><span style="color: #003366;">I'm running my first (and possibly my last) marathon this year in April to prove turning 30 doesn't mean that I'm old, but I can't do it without your help.</span></p> <p><span style="color: #003366;">I will be running for West Midlands Lupus Group, a regional arm of Lupus UK. Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (Lupus) is a presently incurable illness of the immune system, a condition in which the body&rsquo;s defence mechanism begins to attack itself through an excess of antibodies in the blood stream causing inflammation and damage in the joints, muscles and other organs.</span></p> <p><span style="color: #003366;">Lupus is really, really hard to diagnose, with many of it's symtoms mimicing those of other serious illnesses, this can often lead to a long drawn out period whilst the disease is correctly identified. The more money we raise, the more research can be put into Lupus.</span></p> <p><span style="color: #003366;">So the deal is, I spend months training, wearing short shorts and eating twigs and berries, resulting in a 26 mile slog around the big smoke. All you have to do is sponsor me a couple of quid. Anything you can afford would be massivly and greatly appreciated.</span></p> <p><span style="color: #003366;">As a little bonus, if we can get this over a grand, I will attempt to beat a 1984 time set by a wise elder. Details of that will only be revealed after the &pound;500 mark.</span></p> <p><span style="color: #003366;">Thanks in advance for your support.</span></p> <p><span style="color: #003366;">Please visit http://www.westmidlandslupus.co.uk/ if you'd like to know more.</span></p>