Miranda & Matt run the LL Half Marathon for Addison's Disease SHG
Miranda Stracey and Matt Shacklady is raising money for Addison's Disease Self-Help Group
Story
Hi Folks,
This year, we’re taking on the London Landmarks Half Marathon to raise awareness and funds for the Addison’s Disease Self-Help Group (ADSHG) — a cause that means an enormous amount to us.
Addison’s Disease is a rare, life-threatening condition (300 times rarer than Type 1 Diabetes, with only 8,400 UK sufferers) where the adrenal glands no longer function, which without daily steroid replacement, the body cannot survive. ADSHG not only funds critical research but also provides invaluable support to those living with Addison’s, while educating healthcare professionals on timely and accurate diagnosis, effective treatment, and the emotional toll this condition takes, not just on the patient, but also their loved ones too.
Miranda’s Story:
For many, like me, diagnosis can be an uphill, excruciating battle. Addison’s is so rare that it often goes undetected until it’s almost too late, particularly amongst young patients. After eight months of unexplained symptoms and deteriorating health, I was diagnosed at age 19 during an Adrenal Crisis — a life-threatening emergency that, without immediate treatment, can lead to coma and death.
Transitioning from a healthy, active, NatSci Uni student to someone medication-dependent and medically unstable was overwhelming. Without the ADSHG’s resources, support, and sense of community, navigating this ‘new normal’ would have been far more isolating and difficult. Following diagnosis, I spent just over a year in hospital navigating countless rounds of sepsis (due to now being immunocompromised), adrenal crises, and Addisons related complications, on top of what felt like every test and scan under the sun. Medical isolation is profoundly lonely and deeply unnerving, especially when there’s a lack of specialists familiar with your condition. Thankfully, through ADSHG, I was able to find an incredible team at the forefront of Addisons treatment and research and begin a regime that works for me.
4 years on and I’m delighted to share that it does get better. It’s been 3 years since my last Adrenal Crisis, (minus New Year!) over 2 years since my last round of sepsis, meaning I am now finally ready to give back and help raise awareness for ADSHG.
Matt's Motivation:
My knowledge and understanding of Addison’s Disease started the day I met Miranda, after she went through the tough initial years of diagnosis, and I’m grateful to be able to see and experience how well someone can go about living their life normally with this extremely rare disease. Being able to see her now at a place where she can run and raise awareness for a condition that has impacted her fills me with so much pride, and although it was tough at the start, has now got herself to a place now where it barely impacts her life on a day-to-day basis and is free to live as every 27-year-old woman should. This is something that used to define who she was and is now a dusty box in the corner of an attic that you sometimes remember is there. I am so proud of how far she has come and how she is now wanting to help those that are in the place she was, not that long ago.
So please donate what you can, and even if you can’t, I’m hoping this will have spread some knowledge of Addison’s Disease to those of you, who like me, weren’t even aware it existed until I met Miranda.
By supporting ADSHG, you’re funding research, improving education for medical professionals, and providing essential resources to those who need it most. Your generosity could help someone else find the lifesaving treatment and support they deserve. Please consider donating and sharing this page to support this much neglected, yet invaluable cause.
Love & thanks to you all,
Miranda and Matt
xxx