Hi everyone,

My brother Alex and I are running the London Marathon in memory of our sister Natalie, on the tenth anniversary of her death, who passed away when she was 17 from Meningitis.

Natalie had been feeling ill at the beginning of the week and we thought she had come down with a bug. On Thursday night she collapsed in front of me. The ambulance came and I packed a bag of her things for the next day in hospital.

There was no next day for Natalie. She died in the early hours that morning and I never saw my big sister again. Alex was at university and did not even know she was ill until he was told by our Mum that Natalie had died.

Natalie had the kindest soul and the most radiant smile. Anyone that knew Natalie would tell you about her caring nature and big heart.

Running a marathon is going to be hard, but living without our sister is harder.

Any donations would be greatly appreciated. We have chosen to raise money for Meningitis Now to fund research and increase awareness of this deadly disease, in the hope that no other family has to experience the same heartache.

This year marks the tenth since Natalie died. We wanted to take on a big challenge in her memory, to make sure she is never forgotten and some good can come from her death.

We hope we can make her proud.