Most of you reading this are good friends of Emma and for some of you this is the first time you will have heard her story.

I have known Emma since 2003 when we both started working as junior doctors in Bournemouth Hospital.

We shared long days and nights on the wards as well as many fun times including nights out, ski holidays and me cheering her on when she completed the London Marathon.

All the normal activities you do as a young active person with your life ahead of you.

In 2015 my lovely friend was just about to start her first post as a Consultant in ITU medicine at Portsmouth Hospital.

She had spent years of hard work, studying and long hours caring for the most critically ill patients in Dorset, sacrificing her own comfort to attend to theirs.

Just before starting her well deserved post she began to develop a weakness in her hand.

Sadly she was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease and rapidly lost the use of her arms, legs and facial muscles.

Last September she had severe breathing difficulties and was admitted to ITU in Southampton Hospital where she required a tracheostomy and ventilator to allow her to breath but left her unable to speak.

She is now at home requiring 24 hour care and can only communicate via an alphabet board which is painfully slow and frustrating for her.

Her family having been researching communication aids and would desperately love her to have access to Tobii eye tracking systems.

This technology would allow Emma to use her eye movements to speak using a computer generated voice and vitally give her the autonomy and independence she needs and which we all take for granted.

https://www.tobiidynavox.com/en-GB/?MarketPopupClicked=true

This technology costs around £6000.

I will be running the Hackney Half Marathon on the 30th of April in support of Emma's cause.

I ask you to be as generous as you can to help Emma regain her voice.

Thank you for taking the time to listen to her story.