This June I am challenging myself to compete in the ITU Sprint Triathlon in Leeds to raise awareness around the complex illness of Psoriatic Arthritis. 

The Charity I will be aiming to raise £500 for is the 'Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Alliance (PAPAA). PAPAA aims to provide traditional patient support as well as new innovative approaches that a changing healthcare environment requires. For more information on the group, click on the following link: http://papaa.org/about-us

Why am I doing this?

Around four years ago after months of severe pain and virus' my mum was diagnosed with the disease Psoriatic Arthritis. This disease causes swelling around the joints within the body which over time causes damage and deformation. Although the disease in itself is horrific the doctors informed us that the treatment and medication for it can be much harsher.

My mum was prescribed a cocktail of different medications in order to battle against the number of issues she faced, she was prescribed a medication called Methotrexate (a chemotherapy agent and immune system suppressant) which caused her to have multiple seizures a day to a reaction within the body. Further down the line, the doctor tried to swap this drug for a similar type of medication called Sulfasalazine, but unfortunately, the seizures remained a daily struggle and still to this day, there has been no way forward on how to control the severity of them. These treatments also cause the loss of hair loss, finger nails and even the occasional loss and cracking of skin on the body.

I've done my fair share of 'Googling' cures, remedies and any treatments possible out there and the only thing I ever seem to come across that could potentially work is the use of Stem Cell Treatments over in the USA costing way into the tens of thousands of pounds which is unfortunately not a viable option.

By raising this money for the PAPAA group, I'm not expecting to solve of in anyway cure my mum or anyone in a similar situation, but hopefully we can play a part in helping the professionals and those who put their sole effort into researching issues regarding this illness.

I will be competing in the ITU Spring Triathlon race Sunday 9th June, so hopefully I've achieved my target goal by then.

Thank you for your time!

Tom