Hi, I'm Alison from Barnsley. I have mitochondrial disease, and I'm going to be walking one mile a day throughout February to raise funds for My Mito Mission.

Like my mum before me, I was diagnosed with a hearing impairment at around 5 years old. By the time I was 8, my mum had further concerns about my health – specifically, my balance and coordination. I underwent a barrage of tests – a spinal tap, x-rays and biopsies.

They could see things weren’t right, but couldn’t pinpoint the cause.

Eventually, several family members – all with similar symptoms to mine – started to receive the same diagnoses: mitochondrial disease. Like most people, I’d not even heard of it, and then I was diagnosed.

Mitochondrial disease - mito for short - is a debilitating and cruel illness affecting energy production. The variant I have, MELAS, passes down the maternal line and so can be very prevalent across families like ours.

I set up my mission to help improve people’s awareness and understanding about mitochondrial disease and also about the importance of mitochondrial research to millions of people. Whether you help the charity as a whole, or an individual mission - it's the same great cause.

More research into mito could be the key to unlocking many other illnesses, and help us all to age better too. Millions in the UK have conditions which also involve mitochondrial damage - diabetes, MS, sepsis, stroke, some cancers & many more.

However much you can donate, or even if you can just share this page - thank you so much for your support.

You can read more about my story and my mission on my webpage: www.mymitomission.uk/alisons-mito-mission