For the first time in my life on Sunday 24^th April 2016, I will be running the 26.2 miles of the London Marathon for the British Heart Foundation; a charity that is extremely close to me and many other people I know.  To say I’m nervous is a bit of an understatement, but I know it will all be worth it.

In 2007 my dad was rushed into hospital after his heart went into arrhythmia. He was in hospital for a while, and was eventually fitted with an internal defibrillator in case it ever happened again. My dad was fit and very active, and this was totally unexpected. But thanks to the advances in technology and research, paid for by fundraising such as this, he was fitted with a defibrillator which saved his life. I want to raise this money for the BHF so they can continue to make advances in research and technology, to improve heart health for us and for future generations.

The other reason I want to raise money for the BHF is Eoin Fennessy. On December 4^th 2013 he tragically died due to Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome (SADS), and one week after his funeral , his father Tony sadly passed away from a heart attack. My thoughts are always with his family; Carmel, Cathy and Colin, who have had to endure this loss, and I will never forget my close friend who had time for everyone in his company, a wicked sense of humour and an infectious sense of adventure and zest for life. As with my dad, this struck completely out of the blue.  Eoin was fit, healthy and also training for the London marathon, and had just raised over €2000 running the Dublin marathon.

Every week 12 people under the age of 35 die unexpectedly
from a heart condition they didn’t know they had. The BHF uses funds raised to provide ground breaking research into identifying people at risk from SADS and treating them to help prevent more tragic and untimely deaths. I want to raise £2000 for the British Heart Foundation to help them to continue with all the fantastic work that they do, particularly their ground-breaking research into SADS..

Thank you for reading and I would love you to donate and support me in raising money for this vital cause.  No amount is too small - your support means the world to me, and will certainly help get me around those 26.2 miles.

Thank you.