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On the 19th March along with my Sister (Lisa Yates) and Cousin (Romi Trimmer), I'm running 13.1 miles (my first ever half) to raise money for the British Thyroid Foundation. A charity dedicated to supporting people with thyroid disorders. 

My Daughter Laila was diagnosed with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis at the age of 6 1/2, after 5 years of horrendous symptoms which massively impacted her life and took her young childhood away from her. It left her pale and bloated with dry skin, brittle hair, no appetite, dreadful constipation and very little personality. She was always cold, had no energy for anything and spent most days laying in the sofa feeling very sad. 2 years after Laila's diagnosis my Husband Rick was diagnosed with the same condition. This as you can imagine massively impacted our family. 

Laila and Rick are medicated now and those that know them will know the big difference Thyroxine has had, especially in Laila's case. They are doing well although they both require regular blood tests and monitoring, Laila more as she's still growing. She's a little star and takes it all in her stride. However, Hypothyroidism continues to give them both persistent problems. 

Thyroid disorders affect one in 20 people in the UK and the numbers are increasing! Aside from Laila and Rick, I have 3 other family members affected by thyroid disease, along with several friends. 

The British Thyroid foundation is dedicated to supporting people with thyroid disorders and helping families and people around them to understand the condition. They produce useful literature for adults and have great resources for children. In May this year we are hoping to attend their Children's conference. Laila is very much looking forward to meeting other children who have experienced thyroid disease just like her. 

Please donate whatever you can for this great charity who I feel get over looked by some of the large charities, they're doing a great job and I'm very grateful for them! 

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.