Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

This April I will be running my first ever marathon in my hometown of Manchester to raise funds for the National Ankylosing Spondylitis Society.

Ankylosing spondylitis is a painful, incurable, inflammatory arthritis, mainly affecting the spine. It affects around 200,000 people in the UK, and symptoms tend to start between the ages of 18-24.

My mum was diagnosed with Ankylosing spondylitis in 2015 although she has struggled with back pain since she was 15 years old. Since the diagnosis, NASS has been a huge support to her, helping her understand her condition, providing her with regular group physical therapy sessions and connecting her with other sufferers, all of which has made coming to terms with the diagnosis a little easier. 

Given the condition's relatively low public awareness, late diagnosis, like my mum's, is often the case which prevents people getting the support they need. NASS is the only registered charity dedicated to the needs of people affected by ankylosing spondylitis in the UK so I want to raise funds to enable them to help people earlier in life.

Thank you for your support!