I have decided with 4 weeks left of my London Marathon training left, to do it for a cause very close to our hearts. Last October, we lost someone very special to us all, my uncle Rich.

Richard was an inspiration, not just to us as his family but to many people in our community. Richard was born with a rare genetic disorder, osteogenesis imperfecta, also known as brittle bones.

There is only an estimated 5,000 individuals living with this condition in the UK and because of how rare it is, I feel it is important to raise awareness. Richard has always required the use of a wheelchair to mobilise. Over his life time, Richard sustained between 80-100 fractures. All of which were managed conservatively, with just pain relief and positioning. The condition also affects individuals in many other ways, and towards the end of his life, Richard also required oxygen therapy.

Despite having many battles of his own, Richard worked every day towards a better community for disabled individuals. But what he didn’t know was whilst he was doing all of this, he was inspiring us all to be grateful for our health, to be strong and to treat everyone equally.

The brittle bones society helped my family when Richard was young, and through this community, my grandma found friendship who even after Richard’s passing, reached out to offer support.

Because of that, I would like to raise awareness in memory of my uncle Rich and contribute to the ongoing work of this wonderful charity 🫶🏼