I am running the London marathon for the first time to raise money for the Manchester NHS foundation trust. I am hoping to raise 5p per metre of the race (£2109.75 in total)!

I have perhaps spent more time than most interacting with NHS services, both for my own diabetes, and more recently when my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. At all times I have been impressed by the patience, kindness and support offered by staff. They have been of great help during distressing times.

I have lived with type 1 diabetes for most of my life; for most of that time I was cared for by the Manchester Foundation Trust (MFT). Diagnosed when I was 13, I moved to Manchester at 18 for university. After 15 years in Manchester, and in the MFT, I left for a new job in Edinburgh. Looking back, I am very thankful for the care and (sometimes humorous) advice I was given to navigate student and then graduate life, which was second to none. Living away from home for the first time was difficult enough before adding diabetes so having people who genuinely cared about me made all the difference to settling into a new city.

More recently when my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer, it was highlighted that my positive experience was not a one off. And there are folks working hard to help in difficult circumstances throughout the UK. I am therefore hoping to give a very small fraction back in what I have received.

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