Hi everyone,

Many thanks for coming through onto my page, let me explain a bit about what I'm going to do and why I'm going to do it.

In recent years, 2 of the beautiful little girls in the cover photo have been lost to Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis; another, has also recently been diagnosed. One of them, the little girl on the far right was my mother. 

For many, the first hearing of the fatal condition 'Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis' comes at diagnosis. Ironically, it is generally met with a sigh of relief as the previous few weeks will have been a torturous worry over a dark spot on a lung x-ray. Cancer is the immediate worst case scenario that comes to mind, so anything but that is thought overcome-able. 

The relief is extremely short lived; as the doctor abruptly told my mother at her diagnosis, if it was cancer there would at least be the hope of a cure. Life expectancy is approx 3 years from the point of diagnosis. 

In layman's terms, Pulmonary Fibrosis is scarring on the lungs which gradually spreads, killing the ability to breathe as it grows. Idiopathic' simply means 'we don't know why it happens'.

If you can imagine the huffing and puffing that comes after you've put every ounce of energy into sprinting really hard for a bus...that's how IPF sufferers feel sitting up straight in bed. Some sufferers have described it as being permanently waterboarded...fear, panic, helpless and breathless agony. 

At the moment, there's no cure and only a few treatments that may potentially slow down the process. I have agreed with Action for Pulmonary Fibrosis that every penny raised will be spent on research into a cure. I will be running 3 marathons, 1 for each family member affected, in 3 cities that have a special place in my heart. My best mate James has also agreed to this with me to raise money for his own worthwhile cause. 

Any support you can offer, including cheering my fat arse as I waddle sweatily round the courses, will be greatly appreciated! We kick off in Ferrara on March 19th, Rome is 2nd April and end up in Belfast on May 1st.

Thanks for reading and appreciate any support you can offer.