I am going to run the London Landmark Half Marathon 2020 for Spinal Research in memory of my late Dad.

My Dad suffered a severe spinal injury following a motorbike accident in 2001 that put him in a wheelchair and was told he would never walk again. Through pure determination and being stubborn as a mule he managed to prove doctors wrong by standing with the use of two crutches, but it was still far from walking again and a wheelchair still needed to be nearby.

Despite this devastation and the daily struggle for a once incredibly able man, he insisted on going about his daily life as normally as possible with as little help as he could. Later down the line my Dad used his incredible knowledge and skills to adapt motorbikes to enable him to do what he loved once again. He was the most inspirational person I’ve ever known when dealt cards of life that most would not be able to manage. 

Unfortunately it is too late for my Dad, after his death in 2016 when I was 19. Though if anything can come from his untimely death, I know it would mean the world to him to be able to improve the quality of life for even just one person who has found themselves in a similar situation. This is something that is only possible through continued research, and that research is only possible through funding and donations.

As a scientist myself I understand the time, care, and effort that goes into research like that undertaken by Spinal Research. There is nothing more maddening than being unable to continue to develop something potentially revolutionary through lack of funding or resources.

So please spare a little something to make a huge difference to the quality of life for so many individuals and their families across the UK. It is truly unimaginable at the difference these treatments could make.

More than 50,000 people in the UK and Ireland are living with paralysis caused by spinal cord injury.Spinal cord injury is devastating to the person, and their family and friends. Spinal Research is the UKs leading charity funding medical research around the world to develop effective treatments.