I had convinced myself that what I considered my very busy and stressful professional and family life was "normal" and that running on fumes was how life was meant to be. I had always thought that being “stressed” was reserved for those facing extreme life challenges and that as long as I stayed positive that general life challenges should be manageable. As long as I could get my daily run in to decompress then I would be fine. How wrong I was.

I had completely failed to take into account the physical impact that stress can have on the body. After years of internalising everything and using my body as a stress sponge, it finally started to fight back. Slowly a number of what seemed to be random physical symptoms started to develop and after months of tests and consultations, I was diagnosed with lupus in November 2023.

Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disorder where the immune system of the body attacks itself. There is no cure and although the symptoms can ease off for periods of time, they can flare up at any point and last for varying amounts of time. I was completely taken aback and shocked. How was I going to deal with this and still carry on as “normal”?

The diagnosis hit me hard and I although I was confident that the doctors would help with the physical symptoms, my mental health started to suffer. I felt that I was “broken” and that this condition would mean that everything I had worked so hard to build and maintain was going to come crashing down. I started to catastrophise everything and hide away from people or try to mask the physical signs of my condition – given my history of acute teenage acne, developing persistent rosacea/facial redness was particularly upsetting and I hated looking in the mirror. I didn’t want to admit to anyone that there was a chink in the armour or create any doubt that I couldn’t carry on at full tilt.

Although the physical side of lupus is a daily challenge, I now feel so much more at peace with everything and empowered to deal with the emotional aspects of my condition having completed a course of CBT therapy. I also felt brave enough to start telling people about my condition without fear of judgement or the sky falling in. I certainly don’t want any pity or to draw attention to myself but the support I have received from friends, colleagues and clients once I have opened up to them has been overwhelming.

Putting all that aside, I have always been a keen runner and it has been an aspiration of mine to finally run in the London Marathon. I am extremely grateful and proud to do so for LUPUS UK in 2025 as a way of saying thank you to all the support they have provided me and continue to provide fellow sufferers. If you can give anything, please do - even the smallest amount makes a huge difference.

LUPUS UK is the only National registered charity supporting people with the autoimmune condition, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) and Cutaneous Lupus.