Thanks for visiting my JustGiving page supporting me running the Hackney Half Marathon for the MND Association.

You might reasonably ask why on earth I’m doing this (a question I ask myself regularly during training!).

This time last year, my lovely mum was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of Motor Neurone Disease (MND). It was utterly devastating and what followed was a rollercoaster six months, lurching from one deterioration to the next, until she very sadly died in September. We wouldn’t have got through that time without the incredible support of the MND Association and the MND community team who helped us navigate the intense and unpredictable nature of the disease.

For those of you who don’t know, MND is a fatal, rapidly progressing disease that affects messages from the brain to the brain and spinal cord, leading to muscle weakness and failure. Every day, six people are told they have MND and six people die from the disease for which there is currently no cure or treatment. So, this run is for all of them and in memory of my amazing mum, to raise funds to fund vital research into a cure and to provide the support, care and grants so desperately needed by people living with MND and their families.

I’m not a natural runner… in fact, for much of my training my legs have felt like lead! But if I can get through this with even half the determination, resilience, and dignity my mum showed throughout her illness, then I’ll consider that a win.

If you’re able to support, I’d be hugely grateful – every contribution really does make a difference (especially when Deutsche Bank’s Matched Giving is added).

Annabel xx