I'm taking part in Every Day in May For Dravet 2025! I'll cover 5km or 2km every single day throughout the month of May. That's a huge 155km/62km in total! Wish me luck...

I’m running every day in May with some of my wonderful friends in tow to help raise money for Dravet syndrome. My daughter, who turns 9 in May, suffers from Dravet Syndrome. This complex epilepsy is difficult to control and despite 3 daily medications Olivia still has frequent convulsive seizures as well as smaller seizure activity. Whilst the condition doesn’t define her and I am so proud of what she has achieved, being told at 11 months she may never walk or talk, the condition doesn’t limit her and us. It’s not just the seizures but the other comorbidities that plague her too- the the cognitive delay, developmental delay, sensory processing and behaviour difficulties which accompany her Autism and ADHD. She also has hypocampal sclerosis, damage to the right side of her brain, as a result of seizures. As she gets older, she continues to seize when having fun and many of her days are spoiled. She probably doesn’t know what it feels like to be well. But she continues despite her struggles all her challenges and is the most loving little and kind girl who shows resilience and strength. Dravet spoils days for us all and whilst we’re on a surgical pathway to try a VNS this could still be years away and doesn’t guarantee seizure freedom. We need to find more medication options, a cure would be nice! But Dravet Syndrome provide monitors to families to help keep children safe, a network for families to feel supported and most importantly are continually fundraising to raise money to help fund research to better improve outcomes for those with Dravet Syndrome.

My aim is to raise £200 for Dravet Syndrome UK, to support their vital work in bringing hope to families living with Dravet Syndrome through support, education and medical research. To find out more about their work, visit www.dravet.org.uk.

I am going to need all the support and encouragement I can get to keep me going through this huge challenge, so please dig deep to spur me on. All donations, no matter how big or small, are greatly appreciated and make such a huge difference. Thanks for your support!