Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

This year I'm running 13 and a bit miles to raise money for Joint Action, a research appeal launched by the British Orthopaedic Association. 

During medical school, I've raised money for charities allied to the patients I was seeing in hospital at the time - first for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust and later for the Parkinson's Disease Society.

I'm currently researching the immunological causes of osteoarthritis as well as working in a national orthopaedic centre. Two things are evident :

1. Whilst the surgeons may be well remunerated there is a serious lack of investment in Britain's future mobility. Compared to the medical specialities, Orthopaedic research is astonishingly under-fuded, which dramatically slows down the pace of progress.

2. Musculoskeletal disease is phenomenally common. There are 20,000 babies born each year in the U.K. with MSK genetic defects, 15,000 children develop Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis or bone cancer, whilst 60% of people over 70 have OA of the hip or knee. And then there's trauma - by 2020, trauma caused by road traffic accidents alone will be the 3rd cause of disablin conditions.

 

My other reasons to ask for sponsorship are far more simple.

1. Donating makes you feel good - so please give.

2. If I don't raise the £400, I'll have to cover it myself. On my pittance of a junior doctor salary, I need every penny to cover the post-run physio costs - so please help! 

3. Those of you who know me will know that I love chasing down a tennis or hockey ball, but running - and I mean running for no other purpose but to run - is neither my forte or a pleasure. I promise I'll hate every minute of it :) 

So whether it's to raise funds for research to improve orthopaedic treatment for you and future generations, or simply to support me, I would value your support and contributions. 

Thank you. 

And here's some blurb from JustGiving to reassure you that your donation is legit!

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 and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.