On the 13th July I’ll be taking part in a charity boxing match with White Collar Boxing.

With just 8 weeks training I’ll be getting in the ring!

I’m not a boxer and have never done anything like this before! It’s all for an amazing charity and I would love it if you could spare a few pounds.

My sister in law was diagnosed with this rare disease as a child; spending countless nights in Bristol children’s hospital. She has endured ongoing pain and discomfort and has recently been told she will need to have an Oesophagectomy as her own is no longer functioning. This procedure is not without risks. This is not only a physical struggle, with how much her life is controlled about what she can eat but also the mental anguish with constant anxiety about if something she has eaten will trigger painful spasms. This is a highly distressing and isolating and debilitating disease. There is currently no cure and sadly does not get enough funding.

This charity helps research into better treatment options.

Achalasia is a rare swallowing condition (affecting around 1 in 100,000 people per year) that prevents food from reaching the stomach properly. In people with achalasia, the muscles in the oesophagus, (the food pipe) do not work properly, and the entrance to the stomach often fails to open. Food and drink then blocks back into the oesophagus and can remain there for a long time.

This stuck food creates pressure, causing people with achalasia discomfort and sometimes intense pain in the chest area. People with achalasia can also experience other symptoms including regurgitation of food, chest spasms that can feel like a heart attack, weight loss, and malnutrition. Symptoms of achalasia can have a significant impact on a person’s life, but each person experiences the condition differently. There are surgical interventions that can treat the symptoms of achalasia, but there is no cure.

We don’t know what causes the condition, and awareness of achalasia is very low, even amongst the medical profession. Moreover, because swallowing problems can have various causes, people with achalasia can remain undiagnosed for many years, are often misdiagnosed, and can even be left entirely without answers.

Achalasia Action is the only achalasia charity in the UK. They aim to bring people with achalasia together and to help everyone improve their understanding of this rare condition.

Achalasia Action:

- provides a friendly and well-informed community, education and guidance to support those with achalasia and their loved ones

- aims to create awareness of the disease amongst patients, their families, the medical profession and the wider public

- collaborates with the medical community and encourages achalasia-related research

Achalasia Action are a volunteer-led charity with no paid staff. This means that 100% of your donation is used for funding the charity’s work.