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The 33rd London Marathon will be taking place this year on 21 April and, to add the 26.2 mile challenge, it is my aim to raise £25,117 for the spinal cord injury charity Aspire. The money is needed for the single most expensive thing that Aspire provides, a fully accessible and adapted property, which allows as much independence as possible - a vital requirement for someone adjusting to life in a wheelchair.

In June 2009, 2 days before my 21 birthday, I coughed and suffered a herniated disc with severe nerve damage. After almost 4 years having various surgical procedures and undergoing spinal fusion, I am left in a wheelchair. I am still undergoing treatment in hospital to alleviate some of my ongoing symptoms, including a paralysed stomach and chronic pain, but, life goes on.

I was extremely active before this happened, with experience in martial arts and rugby, and whilst I will never give up hope on regaining full use of my legs, my life has been irreversibly changed, though my passion for sport continues. In the autumn of 2011, for my rehabilitation, I began using the outstanding facilities at the Aspire National Training Centre.

Today, I play in the first division of the national wheelchair basketball league and I’m an aspiring Paralympian. In February 2013 I borrowed a veteran racing wheelchair and began training, having already set my sights on completing the London marathon in my everyday chair.   To qualify for the London Marathon I needed to complete the Silverstone half marathon on the 3rd March within 90min.  I did it comfortably in 76 and came overall 9.  http://results.adidashalfmarathon.co.uk/2013/index.php?pid=search

Aspire has been instrumental in the development of my life over the last couple of years, giving me the ability to start regaining some of the independence that I have lost. I count myself lucky that I’m not in a worse off position, as many people suffer much more severe forms of disability leaving them reliant on the grants provided from charities.

Please give as much as you can for such a worthy cause. http://www.aspire.org.uk/

Thank you.

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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 and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.