Tristan Emptage
Tristan's Fundraising page 2010/11
Fundraising for Headway - the brain injury association
Story
To be honest I'd completely forgotten that I'd entered next years London marathon so when the acceptance letter dropped through the letter box the memories of all the pain and suffering came flooding back from 2008 attempt when I completed the race carrying injuries and without the correct level of training, so much so I vowed never to run another Marathon again..........
Having said that, all the talk about pain and suffering pails into significance when compared to the immense struggle my sister Candace is going through since her car crash 5 weeks ago which left her in a coma fighting for her life. Since that time she has regained some level of consciousness but has been left with severe brain injuries and will have a life time of rehabilitation to perform the most simple of tasks that both you and I take for granted. Not only has her accident changed her life forever but it has also changed my whole family's including her 13 year old daughter Madeline and those closest to Candace, who will not only have to come to terms with her injuries but will need to be there for her every step of the way on her road to what we hope will be a better than expected recovery .
This tragic news leads me to tell you about my chosen charity for the 2011 London Marathon, "Headway" the brain injury association http://www.headway.org.uk/home.aspx. Headway aim to promote understanding of all aspects of brain injury and to provide information, support and services to people with a brain injury, their families and carers. Any money you donate will make a huge impact on the lives of those effected by brain injury, including support for the families, rehabilitation programmes for those affected, carer support, community outreach and respite care.
As for the target fundraising amount and Marathon time..........In 2008 I ran the London Marathon and raised a massive £2450 for charity, this year I'd really like to hit the £3500 mark , as for my target time, in 2008 I managed it in 3hrs 59mis and 51 seconds , next year I know that if I stay injury free I can go sub 3.30.................maybe better?
My promise to you is that over the coming months I will keep you updated through my fundraising page on my progress in training for the 26.2 miles that make up the marathon and also update you on any progress made by my sister Candace in her battle to rehabilitate to life with a serious brain injury.
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 and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
So please dig deep and donate now.
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16.12.2010 Update
These last three months have seen some dramatic / amazing changes in Candace's outlook which I'll try and summarise for you and also I'll give you an update on my training for the London Marathon.
Three months ago it was all Very Very Low, the prognosis for Candace was about as bad as it gets, talk of 50/50 survival rates were banded about by the doctors as the norm and as a family we were facing up to some very difficult choices.....that was then. Well I'm glad to say that Candace has moved on, made some massive steps (quite literally) and is taking some real steps towards rehabilitation. Candace is now in a Brain Injury unit in Leeds working hard on both her Physical and Mental injuries, and in the last three months has taken her first steps, is eating normal food again, is talking to us and re learning how to live with her disabilities.....She may even be allowed to leave the hospital for a few hours on Xmas day. It's an amazing journey that she's taken, one that as a family we really dared not to dream about.......
As for me and my training, well I broke my arm falling off my bike 5 weeks ago which despite wearing a pot has been a blessing in disguise, forcing me to go running rather than riding my bike at weekends, I even managed a 39 minute 10K 3 weeks ago!
I've also been very fortunate in that I have my Friend and work Colleague Mark Beasley sharing his vast wealth of running knowledge with me, even introducing me to LSD (that's "Long Slow Distance") which is basically learning to run slow (Slow's not something I do) Big Thanks Mark.
And finally the Fundraising is going amazing so a HUGE THANKS to all those of you that have taken the time to read my page and donate both large and small amounts, every penny counts. The total currently stands at £2800 so only £700 to go to reach my target of £3500.