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A year and 8 days after my Mum died, I’ll be running the London Marathon.

I’m running in her memory and to continue the commitment I’ve made to raise awareness about the condition that she suffered from – Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) and make as much money as I can for the charity that helps people like my mum.  Through your sponsorship we can make a difference to those who are burdened by the condition and hopefully help the researchers to find a way of stemming the flow of the disease and in time eliminating it all together. 

Let me tell you a bit about PSP.  It’s a terrible disease both for the individual struck down by it and those who love them. It erodes an individual's independence and ability to manage on their own.

For someone such as my Mum who was fiercely independent, a force to be reckoned with, an intellect and someone passionately engaged with life, she experienced her body's deterioration with tremendous fortitude. However, it left her so dependent and feeling like she was a burden - something for which she often apologized. Mum put up a long and valiant fight and through the love and support that my Dad provided her with she continued to live life as fully as she could despite the corrosive nature of her disease.  

Mum had a great zest for life. As the PSP got a hold of her, some of her spunky, challenging presence disappeared and I missed it terribly.