Hadrian's Wall Challenge 2017

We plan to run 87 miles in 3 days to help raise awareness and funds for Evie.

Evie, who lives in Shilbottle, is 4 ½ years old and was diagnosed with Diamond Blackfan Anaemia (DBA) at the age of 6 weeks.
DBA is a rare blood condition where the bone marrow fails to produce red blood cells. The condition is extremely rare, affecting approx. 125 people in the UK and less than 1000 worldwide. It requires intensive therapy and has no known cure.

Treatment consists of 2 options, steroid therapy or blood transfusions. Evie started the steroid therapy at the age of 8 months but over the last year she has lost her response to the steroids and is now blood transfusion dependent. So far Evie has had 18 blood transfusions and now needs them every 4 weeks. However a side effect of this treatment is iron overload where iron builds up in the liver, heart and pancreas. She has now started new treatment to help remove the excess iron from her body.

Evie’s blood test and transfusions are carried out at the RVI in Newcastle but she is under the care of St Marys Hospital in Paddington, London - which is the UK’s specialist centre for DBA. She travels to St Marys 4-5 times a year and undergoes bone marrow biopsies, liver biopsies, blood tests, MRI scans and many other procedures. The team at St Marys are now searching the bone marrow register to find a suitable donor for Evie as a bone marrow transplant may be her only option.