Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

On New Years Eve last year, my life was changed forever, after being dreadfully ill and barely moving from the sofa or my bed for weeks, I was diagnosed with a rare, endocrine condition called Addison’s disease. 

There are around 8000 people in the UK living with Addison’s disease, it’s 300 times more rare than diabetes.

So ... what is it?

People with the disease don’t produce certain hormones that are needed to survive such as cortisol (stress hormone) and aldosterone (regulates salt and water) thankfully these can be replaced with daily doses of steroids although it is difficult at first to digest that these little white tablets are keeping you alive.

During times of stress or illness dosage needs to be adapted so the body can cope and prevent something called an adrenal crisis, which is a medical emergency and can be life threatening and happens when the cortisol levels in the body drop dangerously low.

Addison’s patients must carry an emergency injection, extra medication, a steroid dependency card and should wear a medical ID bracelet, it could save a life. 

Addison’s UK has been a great support to me and I want to raise money for research into this rare disease.