I am running two marathons in two weeks, Paris and London. 

For London, I am running for Get-A-Head. The work that Get-A-Head do is valuable to improving the quality of life for those patients who suffer from head and neck diseases and their carers, something which has effected a member of my family. 

I was very generously donated a place at the London Marathon through a charity auction place by a family member (cheers, Lucie!), and would love to raise what I can in order to support this charity. Any donations towards this cause would be very greatly received. 

Below is their mission statement: 

We feel this can be done by funding three main areas:

1) Equipment

The correct diagnosis of a patient’s complaint is obviously vital to deciding how to treat their condition. Until we can see what we’re doing, we’re working in the dark. Many of the larger, more specialised pieces of equipment just cannot be funded by the NHS, so this is where Get A-Head can help.

2) Research

Unless we can understand how a disease works at it’s most basic level, it’s difficult to develop new treatments. Sometimes these developments are time consuming and expensive. This is where we can help by funding specialist research fellowships into thyroid cancer and supporting the consumable costs.

3) Education

Sharing information via lecturing on relevant courses, production of editorials and reviews into associated medical journals, assisting specialist training for nurses and other key personnel… these are all areas where Get A-Head is keen to assist with continued funding.

Putting your donations to good use

Over the last few years, Get A-Head has funded a range of projects and equipment that have made a real difference to those fighting head and neck disease, including:

• Research into Cancers of the Head and Neck including the genetics of 2 very rare forms of cancer – Medullary Thyroid Cancer (MTC) and Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma (ACC).

Supporting an Accelerated Cancer Drug treatment programme for the next five years, the programme aims to speed up treatment by matching existing drugs, which have already been approved in other conditions like arthritis, to cancers where they have not been tried before.

•  Help to purchase pioneering Equipment for use in operations that ensures the best possible outcomes for patients, such as Harmonic scalpels that reduce bleeding and scarring, and most recently the CyberKnife.

Purchasing life changing equipment for patients who have lost their voice through cancer, with things like Electro-larynx’s and iPads, to help them communicate with loved ones.

•  Supporting health care professionals with further Education, we also support a complementary therapy team, who can offer patients alternative treatments that can help relieve some of the symptoms related to cancer treatments.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.