Thanks for taking the time to visit Michelle and Lee's JustGiving page.

What are we doing?

We are running the Cheltenham Half on 5th September, followed by the London Marathon on 3rd October to raise money for the Royal National Institute of Blind People.

The RNIB provide a wide range of support, including advice, counselling and equipment, and are invaluable in helping people deal with their sight loss. 

Since Michelle became partially sighted 2.5 years ago, the RNIB's invaluable support has been key in allowing Michelle to adapt to and accept this life change and improve her mental wellbeing. So we are really keen to fundraise for RNIB so that they can continue to help others impacted by sight loss, especially after a couple of years that have impacted heavily on charity fundraising. 

Lee has kindly volunteered to  be Michelle's guide runner incase she has any problems with her sight during the run. Massive thanks to Lee for giving up so much time to train and support Michelle in this challenge. 

About Michelle:

I was training to complete the London Marathon in 2019 when I had a serious car accident in December 2018, which almost took my life and left me with life changing injuries. 

I was in hospital for over a month having had a smashed heel, dislocated foot and bowel removal. I also had a stroke following a major arterial bleed (I lost 80% of my blood) which resulted in me losing over a quarter of my visual field and I am now registered partially sighted. 

Over the last two years, I have been adjusting to the life-changing impact of all these injuries, including learning to walk again and adapting to my reduced sight. The sight loss means I am not able to drive anymore and I also have developed arthritis in my ankle. 

You can call me stubborn/stupid/determined or most probably, it's a mid-life crisis but not being able to run in the  2019 marathon feels like it's unfinished business so throughout the last 2 years, I have always been motivated to get to the point where I could attempt the London Marathon again. So I am really glad to say that I am part of the RNIB team for the 2021 London Marathon. 

Thank you to everyone who has supported me over the last two years and continues to support me throughout my recovery - I can not express enough how grateful i am. It's been a long, hard slog but I'm getting there.....