Hello my name is Samik, and I appreciate you taking the time to visit my fundraising page. I’ve managed to gain a charity place through the U.K. Thalassaemia Society (UKTS) to run in the 2025 London Marathon.

UKTS is the national charity which supports people affected by thalassaemia, a genetic blood disorder which requires lifelong blood transfusions & various other medical treatment. The charity offers support, advice, counselling & distributes information encouraging blood screening. It also organises conferences for patients & health professionals to keep them up to date on the latest treatment.

During a routine blood test in my childhood, it was identified that I am a genetic carrier of Beta -Thalassaemia (minor) trait. As it is a trait and not a health condition, except for extremely rare cases, the thalassaemia trait has no symptoms and requires no treatment. However, in cases of moderate to severe thalassaemia, patients may require treatments which include frequent blood transfusions, chelation therapy and stem cell transplants.

I wanted to learn more about the disease as it is estimated that there are more than 100 million people worldwide living with thalassaemia trait (asymptomatic carriers). As mentioned above, carriers are generally healthy, you may not know you are a carrier unless you have a blood test. I hope to help UKTS reach their goals by promoting this magnificent charity and all the work they do for people with thalassaemia.

Any money donated will be used to raise awareness of UKTS which will help fund the charity’s campaign and further research. Any amount you're willing to contribute is so greatly appreciated. If you aren't able to contribute money at this time, sharing this page with your friends and family would mean the world to us as you would be promoting knowledge and understanding of this condition.

I will keep you all updated regarding my fundraising activities in trying to reach my target.

Thanks for your support!

Samik