Three years ago my partner's mum, Sheena, was diagnosed with myelofibrosis, a rare form of blood cancer which causes scar and fibrous tissue to build up inside the bone marrow so that the marrow can't produce blood cells effectively. This group of disorders, known as myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) only affect one in 100,000 people, resulting in them not being understood to the same extent as more common cancers.

For the last  three years Sheena has worked with MPN Voice, a small charity which supports those diagnosed with MPN and invests in research and clinical trials. As there is currently no cure for these disorders MPN Voice aims to raise money in order to fund research to ultimately find a cure. Sheena has organised and taken part in many fundraising events and has inspired her family and friends  to take on their own challenges to raise thousands for this small charity.

Now its my turn...I'll be running 26.2 miles at the London Marathon on April 23rd for a small but very worthy charity which has provided much needed support and information to Sheena and others impacted by MPN.

Asking for charity is hard (although not as hard as running a marathon) and I've always hated asking for something for nothing. But this is a fantastic cause which is very close to my heart and I only intend to do this once (!) so please give what you can to support MPV Voice and me on race day!

Thank you. Your support means a lot.

Cat xx