So, what's the story, morning glory? 

Since the early part of 2015 I've been training for and taking on huge physical challenges in support of the CF Trust. The primary focus for me at that point was to help try and stabilise my health and spend as little time in hospital as possible. 

A driving force behind this came about in 2014 when I lost a large proportion of my lung function. As a result I was regularly hospitalised and receiving Intravenous medical treatment for months at a time. This had really dramatic consequences on my happiness, outlook, relationships with friends and loved ones and I found it very difficult to bounce back. My lung function dropped to around 55-60% and I was simply fed up of hospital, how uncertain my future was looking and leading a life which was suddenly so restricted.

Fast forward a year and I decided I'd had enough of everything and everyone in the hospital. I bought myself a bike and began cycling to try and get fit, stop anymore health deteriorations and maybe see if I could raise a few pennies for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust at the same time. And so begins the exciting journey you now join me on!!!

I'll be honest with you, this is not easy for me. My lung capacity means that exercising feels like I'm running and only breathing through a straw (which is tricky). Aches and pains ail me something rotten and that means that sometimes it's not fun. But I am very lucky and I look back at my last few years and remember the pain of the physical challenge is nothing compared to the physical and mental pain of walking through those hospital doors and putting on an oxygen mask and knowing I won't be going home for a while.

To date, I have done quite well in stabilising my health and a great outcome of this is we have raised around £3,500 along the way for charity.

But, where does this leave us now? Well, in 2017 I've decided to up the ante!! My lung function may not be getting better and remains constant around 50-55% but that is absolutely not going to stop me.

On the 24th September 2017 I will throw myself into a lake to try and swim 1500m, then I will be cycling 40km and if I survive all that, the final test is a 10km run. All completed with only 55% lung function! (Remember give running a go yourself and breathe only through a straw and you'll get the idea of how tricky it's going to be!!) I know this challenge is a mammoth task and at the moment seems really impossible, but the plan here is to prove to myself, all CFers and everyone around us that anything is possible, no matter how hard we can do it!!

What I really need now, is all of YOU!! I'm asking you all. Join me, whether that's through donations, sharing, commenting, following, liking or coming to see me race, please get involved. Every person involved helps me stay motivated on the bad days, gives me an even broader smile on the good days and makes it all worth while.

So get donating, as small or as big as you can, get sharing and keep your eyes peeled for regular updates!!

Remember, breathe easy and speak soon x