I've always wanted to be able to say I've run a marathon but couldn't face the training! But I'm only getting older so when my sister and her sister in law asked if I wanted to join them for this year's Manchester marathon I signed up straight away-  then couldn't sleep for 3 nights!!

I signed up without a charity place as I didn't want to ask people to pay for something I wanted to do but as I've talked to friends and colleagues they've asked who I'm running it for and some have wanted to sponsor me so I thought maybe I should find a cause.

And then I saw the photo of Mustafa Al-Nazzal and his dad in the paper and I cried reading their story. Mustafa was born with no arms and legs because his mum was gassed when she was pregnant with him and his dad lost a leg in a bombing. The photo had won an international competition which led to Mustafa and his family being moved to Italy where he and his dad will have full prosthetics and rehab for years. Their campaign has already got all the money they need but there are hundreds of children affected in the same way and The Syrian Refugee Relief Fund have a prosthetic limb support programme to help those in need as well as supporting other syrian orphans and their families displaced by war.

So please donate if you can to help those like Mustafa and his family. I know thinking about them will help me train and run the marathon and be more grateful that I am lucky enough to be able to do so.

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