Two years ago, I lost my best friend, Kim Ball, to sepsis. She was only 39. My life was turned upside down. Grief is an ongoing struggle that everyone will face at some point in their lives.

Gillian said to me, “JoJo, I want to do something with you to help raise money for Kim—and, selfishly, for us to get fitter and healthier too!” Her thoughtfulness and support have been a huge help in getting my mental and physical health back on track.

Kim used to always get me out running with her. I thought to myself, The Great North Run is exactly the kind of thing she would have talked me into doing. The furthest I’ve ever run is a 5k! I thought, No way can I run a half marathon—and not pee for two hours! But all I could hear was Kim saying, “You wimp! You can do it!”

So, Gillian and I will be running our first half marathon on September 7th for The UK Sepsis Trust: https://sepsistrust.org/about-sepsis/

Wish us luck—we’ll need it!

Please sponsor us anything you can. Every little bit helps.