This is me roughly 18 months ago to the day since my hair fell out on returning from a holiday in Cannes. I was subsequently diagnosed with CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome) and Alopecia Universalis (the rarest form of Alopecia), and told that there was little medicine could offer me as a cure. In that time my life and attitude has changed irrevocably. I have gone from spending days in bed, and feeling numb with depression, to now being in the best shape of my life both physically and mentally. We need to remember that the sun will shine eventually, if we stick to our convictions. It is only in darkness that we discover we are stronger than we know. Life is never over; it’s only ever a change of path and direction. To that end I will be taking part in a series of challenges, culminating in an Ultra Marathon in 2019, and looking to raid your pockets for donations. This will go towards helping those that do not have the same support systems I was, and still am, lucky enough to have, along with furthering Alopecia research. It’s the simple things like your work colleagues naming you ‘voldemort’ that suddenly make you feel human again, and not like a victim. The beast of this disease is inherently not your reflection, it’s the effect it has on your mind.

Remember that family and friends are everything. You will never forget, nor be able to truly thank the people that have helped along the journey, and have pulled you up even when you felt like you were drowning. We can however, strive to do the same for others, and take reward from the knowledge that we are helping others to achieve and evolve.

So go out and get it done, whatever goal you’re chasing, keep working and striving to evolve for self-betterment and the betterment of others.