Welcome to my TCS London Marathon #TeamHDA fundraising page. If you plan to donate, please be aware that the JustGiving may try to add a voluntary tip. You can amend this to '£0' when you donate.

I will be taking part in the 2025 TCS London Marathon to help us support people living with Huntington's disease (HD) in England and Wales.

Huntington's disease is a fatal progressive brain condition that causes the gradual breakdown of nerve cells in the brain. It leads to a variety of devastating symptoms, including uncontrollable movements, difficulty with speech and swallowing, walking and talking, and changes in mood, memory, and thinking. If you can imagine a bodily function you need to get through the day, HD eventually negatively impacts that for those with it. As the disease progresses, it robs individuals of their independence, often leading to complete loss of physical and mental abilities. Life expectancy is 10-20 years from onset of symptoms, and those living with the condition eventually need 24/7 nursing care. There is currently no cure, and the effects are both heartbreaking for those living with it and their families. It’s a cruel and relentless condition, and every bit of support helps in the fight to find a cure.

HD has impacted me most of my life and until I turned 18, I was fearful of sharing my reality with people. After feeling so powerless as a teenager, I decided it was time to share our journey, to help others in the same position and raise awareness. My family didn't know anything about the disease until my great grandmother passed away in 2002 and a post mortem revealed she was misdiagnosed with Parkinsons and Dementia and she in fact lived with HD. That year, my nana took a genetic testing which revealed she also had HD. I lost my wonderful Nana Lin in 2021, as she battled for 15 years with devastating symptoms.

My mum received her gene positive test result in 2004 and has been symptomatic for over a decade now. She struggles with walking, talking, eating and drinking; despite once being very fit and healthy. Watching both of the most important women in my life, lose their independence and suffer unimaginably has been extremely challenging but they never gave/give up and instilled the same resilience in me. Hence, I'm running this marathon.

From the age of 18 in the UK, an individual at risk of HD can be tested for the condition as anybody with a parent with the condition has a 50/50 risk of inheriting it. In March 2023, I made the tough decision to find out my own fate and found out I also have the faulty gene. Being a gene carrier means I will definitely develop symptoms of the fatal illness one day. Symptoms usually start between the age of 30-50, so I really do live for everyday as I know my life will be cut short, and I've unfortunately watched my future play out caring for my mum and nan.

My inspiring momma also walked 8k in support of my fundraising to support me getting to my target, this was such a huge challenge for her given her symptoms. I'm so proud and grateful for her!

You can find more about our story, my genetic testing journey and my plans for the future here: https://www.thesun.co.uk/health/29614550/woman-family-members-huntingtons-disease-diagnosis/

Watch our piece with the BBC here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001ysrc

I do all I can to remain positive and hopeful, with research scientists working tirelessly towards finding our community an effective treatment or hopefully even a cure one day.

Knowing I live with a terminal disease and will one day mean I wake up unable to do so much we all take for granted, I want to tick everything off my bucket list whilst I am still well. London Marathon has been on my bucket list for a long time and what better way to do it, than running for a charity that has helped my family beyond measure.

It means the world to me to give other families the opportunity of the same support, HD can feel incredibly isolating and impossible sometimes and I know the money raised by marathon runners like me will change so many lives for the better.

I am so grateful for you taking the time to learn more about our story and my 'why'. I understand times are tough for everybody and there is no pressure to donate (especially my friends and family who give so generously with everything we do). Even you reading and sharing our journey and this challenge, you have helped tremendously. Thank you so much for your support, no matter what that looks like.

BRING ON THE MARATHON!