On 26th April 2020, my incredible and brave  little boy, Harry, will celebrate his 10th birthday and I will take on the biggest physical challenge of my life, in honour of him and everything he has overcome in the first decade of his life.

This is a day that we never thought we would see and certainly not one that doctors expected us to see when Harry was first admitted to hospital at the age of 16 weeks. Suffering from horrendous seizures with an unknown cause, he was critically ill and we were told to expect the worst (something that no parent should ever have to hear). 

Our lives were torn apart and the weeks and months that followed were full of  tests, scans, medicine and hospital appointments. After 18 months of this rollercoaster Harry was  finally given the diagnosis of  Mitochondrial Disease (Mito)

Not only is Mitochondrial disease debilitating, it is also progressive and terminal with no treatment or cure . Despite such a bleak prognosis, Harry has continued to fight the daily battles (with severe epilepsy, profound deafness, complex developmental difficulties and sensory processing disorder to name a few) and to defy doctors by learning  to walk and climb (amongst many other things!). His strength, determination and bravery never cease to amaze us and we are immensely proud of everything he achieves.

Like every other family who have a child with Mito, we have had to come to terms with the reality that we are not going to have our beautiful little boy forever. The Lily Foundation have been there for us every step of the way and not only have they provided us with invaluable information and emotional support but they have also enabled us to connect with other families in the same situation as us. I can't put into words how amazing this charity is and how vital it is for families like ours to have this support network available to us.

And now it’s my turn to be brave, just like Harry, and to give something back to the charity who have done so much for us.. as someone who never ran until 3  years ago, taking on a Marathon is  extremely nerve wracking and possibly slightly crazy but I will do this for my baby boy and for all those other families who rely so much on The Lily Foundation!

"A Marathon is an event where everyone is equal and ordinary at the start but a legend at the finish" The London Marathon is always an incredible event that creates everyday hero's in the fight against Mitochondrial Disease. 10 million people in the UK suffer from diseases in which mitochondrial dysfunction is believed to be involved, while every day in the UK a baby is born who will develop mitochondrial disease. The disease is debilitating, there is no cure and lives are cut far too short. The Lily Foundation's ultimate aim is to one day find a cure for mito. As the UK's leading charity dedicated to fighting mitochondrial disease, our mission is to support people whose lives are affected by the condition, raise awareness and fund research into its prevention, diagnosis and treatment. 

Please support my London 2020 challenge and together we will make a difference.