My sister Kath recently had one of her toes amputated. The cause was an as-yet undiagnosed form of autoimmune disorder that has associated vasculitis (the immune system attacking blood vessels), which caused a toe to become infected enough to warrant being lopped off. Not fun, as you might imagine. 

The support network surrounding Vasculitis UK have probably kept Katherine (mostly) sane for the last few months. Her unbelievably positive attitude is at least partly thanks to this incredible group of people she has met and spoken with since this all started.

The charity funds research into causes and treatments for vasculitis as well as raising awareness for the many types that exist. They offer support, advice and information to people suffering from vasculitis, and are an organisation entirely run by volunteers.

Kath is a celebrity in the Vasculitis UK world from what I've heard, and she's been keeping up a blog throughout the whole of her ordeal. Fair warning; there's some graphic pictures in here: https://theadventuresofdeathtoe.com/

To show our support for Kath, and to raise some money for Vasculitis UK and the work they do, a group of 5 of us will be running in the Edinburgh Marathon Festival (as a group of 4 in the relay team and our 5th member in the half marathon). If you'd like to help out, please donate whatever you can on the link above. 

Thanks, 

Connor, Emily, Isabel, James and Callum

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.