Despite not running the Cardiff half marathon this year, I have lost my mind and signed myself up for the London Marathon! Both Josh and I applied for the ballot, and neither of us received a place. I was gutted when I found out...NOT (as I hadn't trained or run the Cardiff half, due to a dodgy right knee). I was actually relieved. Then we received an email from the MSA trust to say we've been lucky(!) enough to secure charity places (Josh entered me!). Min of £3500 fundraising! As if running it won't be hard enough!

I'm not a runner, I'm not even sure I'll be able to do it - I found Cardiff half horrific. Training is currently horrible, it's dark, wet, and I had to tell you about the knee issue because I'm already coming up with all of the excuses under the sun! Anyway, I'm telling myself it's not going to be easy, because if it was then it wouldn't be a challenge!

Ultimately, this isn't about us running it. James Argent ('Arg' for the TOWIE fans) ran it in 2012. So, I'm hoping I'll get around eventually! Perhaps with Josh dragging me (although he's going for a fast time, so I'll get left hours behind!!). What this is about, is raising funds and awareness for a fantastic small charity that needs any support it can get! This charity means a lot to me and my family, and has put on supportive 'family and friends days' as well as employed more specialist nurses, since we've all raised funds in the past. 

Thank you for getting to the end of my essay. Please do donate, anything you can will help this fantastic cause!

With a very long way to go to reaching our £3500 of funds, and getting around the 26.2 mile course...
(I feel for Josh having to train me!)...

... Angharad & Joshua x

Multiple System Atrophy is a totally indiscriminate terminal neurodegenerative disease that affects 3,000 people in the UK. Caused by degeneration of nerve cells in several areas of the brain, this devastating disease causes problems in movement, balance and automatic functions of the body such as bladder and blood pressure control; ultimately resulting in the person being ‘locked in’ their own body. There is no cure for MSA.

The MSA Trust is the only charity in the UK established to support all those affected by this disease and offers the following services:

 - A confidential helpline run by specialist nurses, available through email or telephone.

- Fact sheets and information for people with MSA, their carers and family members.

- A network of support groups located across the UK dedicated to providing carers and people with MSA the opportunity to share experiences.

- Dedicated social media platforms to reduce the isolation associated with having MSA.

The MSA Trust is also the UK’s primary funder of research into both a cause and cure to this devastating neurodegenerative disease. All services are offered free of charge. The Trust receives no statutory funding whatsoever and relies entirely on voluntary donations.

Please visit the following pages for further information: 

http://vimeo.com/107488849 (link to MSA trust video)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple_system_atrophy

http://www.msatrust.org.uk/

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. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.