Hi guys! 

I am running a half marathon to fundraise for a charity called Young Epilepsy. Epilepsy is a condition that can affect people of all ages at any time. 

Young Epilepsy is a charity that advocates for children and young people with epilepsy, provides one to one support including rehabilitation services and they help raise awareness about all the amazing people who have epilepsy and the incredible things they do. 

I have chosen to fundraise for Young Epilepsy because epilepsy has affected someone who is very dear to my heart. Without the support of such charities, they are at risk of:

• Not achieving their full potential at school.
• Social exclusion from peers.
• Poor mental health.
• Being affected by stigma, especially  within an ethnic minority background where there is a significant lack of awareness and education surrounding epilepsy. 

The following quotes (taken from online support forums) allows a glimpse in to the life of a parent who is raising a child who has epilepsy: 

‘When it first happened I spent night after night just watching her sleep. I was on edge because I knew it could strike any time’ - Anonymous

‘He wants to go swimming with his friends but I’m terrified to let him’ - Anonymous

‘She was having her cereal before school when it happened. My 6 year old ran and covered my 1 year old’s eyes so he wouldn’t get scared of what was happening, whilst I held my eldest with all my strength and tried to make sure she didn’t choke’ - Anonymous

‘I wish I could let him be a normal teenager, but I’m just so scared’ - Anonymous 

‘I watched my 4 year old’s eyes roll back in her head, her jaw chatter and her legs twitch violently. She wouldn’t respond to me. I still get flash backs’ -Anonymous 

‘Epilepsy is like an earthquake. You never know how long a seizure will last or how strong it will be’ - Anonymous 

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.