I will be running the Cardiff Half Marathon with my brother Matt for our amazing cousin, Charlotte.

Charlotte had a life changing brain stem stroke in May 2017, just two weeks after her 40th birthday. The stroke has left Charlotte paralysed from the neck down and she initially suffered a total loss of speech. Charlotte has received intense rehab over the last year at Mardon Rehabilitation Centre and as a result of her hard work and incredible determination has started to regain some movement in her right hand and her speech has improved.

Living with such a severe disability comes with a lot of financial pressure in all aspects of life. Charlotte now needs a new, specialised wheelchair that will help her with her rehab and help her stand.

Charlotte has always been the life and soul of the party and still has a wicked sense of humour. She has such a caring personality and loved the older cousin role, looking out for us as her younger cousins when we were growing up.

Charlotte now has a beautiful four year old daughter, Sophie.

The Cardiff half will be quite a challenge for me as I had not run for 18 months when I signed up to the event. Since my last half marathon I have had two children which makes finding the time to run much harder.

Matt is a seasoned Cardiff half marathoner but appears to be getting slower each year! So I’ve challenged him to get back into running shape and beat his PB!

Being able to purchase the wheelchair will be life changing for Charlotte as she aims to return to live at home with her husband Julian and Sophie. We would be very grateful for any contributions and we know Charlotte will be too.

Many Thanks, Rachel & Matt