I have challenged myself to run these events to raise money in memory of My great Niece Aria:

Cheshire 1/2 marathon

Chester Marathon

New York Marathon

Alton Towers 1/2 marathon

In early 2025 Aria's Parents we were given a diagnosis no parent should ever hear: POLG-related mitochondrial disease. It’s a rare genetic condition that slowly shuts down the body’s ability to make energy — the very thing every cell needs to survive. It is progressive. It is devastating. And it is terminal.

They were watching their precious daughter, my great niece, slip away, one heartbreak at a time. There is no cure. They didn't know how long they would have with her — weeks, months, maybe more. Maybe less. But somehow, through seizures and hospital stays, tubes and tests, Aria still found the strength to smile. In ICU, a nurse tied her little curls into pigtails and said she looked like Boo from Monsters, Inc. — and that’s how Ari Boo was born.

Sadly Ari-Boo, precious little Aria passed away 09.08.2025 with both her parents lying on the bed holding her tiny little hands.

They can’t change what’s happened to Aria but together we can fight for meaning. That’s why I have joined Team Aria: to honour her life and memory and raise money for The Lily Foundation, the UK’s leading mitochondrial disease charity. Please donate today.

Thank you