Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Early last year, my mother passed away after more than 8 years of battling with Amyloidosis.

During all this this time, she relentlessly and patiently went 3 times a week to her lengthy sessions of kidney dialysis totalling more than 1250 sessions since she was first diagnosed.

She kept on going but the disease proved tougher and stronger. She never gave up, losing her final battle during one of those sessions that kept her alive.

42.2K in Beirut, my hometown will be in comparison a small challenge but it's  the least I could do to her memory and to raise awareness about this disease that is struggling to get funding but that affects the lives of so many.

Amyloidosis is a rare and incurable disease caused by the build-up of abnormal protein fibres (or ‘fibrils’) in tissues and organs throughout the body, interfering with their function.  Almost any organ can be affected, so the symptoms vary greatly and diagnosis can be very difficult.

Research and development of new treatments for amyloidosis in the National Amyloidosis Centre, based at the Royal Free Hospital in London, have made enormous contributions to understanding of the disease and to improved outcomes for patients.  These achievements have been recognised by the award of large research grants and by the generous funding of patient care by the NHS.  However, award of formal research grants takes many months and is tied to particular uses.  There is always a need for flexible research funds which can be used whenever required for new developments and ideas.  The UCL Amyloidosis Research Fund, a charitable fund within University College London (UCL), was created to serve this function and receives donations from patients, relatives and other supporters.  It is an invaluable resource for the Centre, enabling crucial developments for the benefit of patients which would otherwise not have been possible.

The resources provided by the UCL Amyloidosis Research Fund, through the generosity of donors, will undoubtedly make major contributions to alleviating the suffering and saving the lives of many thousands of individuals afflicted by a terrible and hitherto incurable disease.  Every penny is received with sincere gratitude and is used specifically and in its entirety for amyloidosis research.