Thank you for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

This November marks 4 years since losing my mum to a rare disease.

Like my mum though, millions of other people worldwide are suffering with illnesses that are unknown, uninvesigated....and in my mum's case, incurable.

I plan to cycle (on my shiny new Peloton bike) 270 miles throughout November. That's the return distance between the two hospitals (Southampton General and Addenbrookes) that cared for my mum - a journey that myself, my dad and my sister made many times to be by her side.

The Facts:

• 1 in 17 people will be affected by a rare disease at some point in their lives. This amounts to 3.5 million people in the UK
• The majority of rare diseases currently have no effective treatment
• 8 out of 10 rare diseases have a genetic cause and 99% of genetic conditions are classed as rare. Often rare diseases are chronic and life-threatening.
• On average, it takes over 4 years to receive an accurate diagnosis of a rare disease.
• Rare diseases include rare cancers such as childhood cancers and other well know conditions such as Cystic Fibrosis and Huntington's Disease.

Rare Disease UK work on a variety of issues that families and individuals with genetic conditions face. They aim to provide information, support families and influence the services needed by these patients. They also work to add patient voice into debates that matter in our community. Their work falls into different categories: reproductive techniques, diagnosis, medical research, healthcare and delivery, access to treatments and living and education.

https://www.raredisease.org.uk/ 

Please help me to support this amazing charity and the work that they do. Every little helps!

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.