By running the Edinburgh Marathon this year in May I hope to raise as much funds as possible for #TeamThomas, here's a little bit of "my why"....

Thomas is a 9 year old courageous, kind, gentle, funny (and some times annoying! - only kidding!!!!) little boy. It is more than fair to say he and his family face so many challenges on a daily basis. Everyday, simple tasks are cumbersome, difficult and somethings just can't be done because he has a disease called Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

DMD is a progressive muscle-wasting disease, for which currently there is no cure. It results from a defective gene responsible for producing the key muscle protein, dystrophin. Without dystrophin, cells easily become damaged and die resulting in heart and breathing failure. 300,000 children and young adults worldwide have DMD and most may pass away in their 20's.

DMD is devastating news for any family, but this has touched my family - Thomas is my cousin Laura's one and only little boy. I come from a small family (I only have one brother and 4 cousins total, 2 off which grew up in England) and Laura and I grew up together. Even though I moved away and now live in Ireland family remains hugely important to me. When I learned about Thomas's diagnosis I felt and still do feel completely useless and I hate that so I have decided to take all the negativity I feel towards this disease and try turn it into something positive as doing nothing isn't an option.

Being brought up in Musselburgh, the Edinburgh Marathon this year is one day after my 50th birthday - so this was my sign to step up and rise to the challenge and try to raise as much money as possible for #TeamThomas.

80% of all funds raised go towards research and the other 20% go directly to Thomas to help make his life a little easier 🙏

🧡Thank you for taking the time to read, and hopefully the time to donate 🧡

Here goes my friends.......

Please donate however much you can, every single penny counts : )

Muscular Dystrophy UK is the charity for 111,000 people living with muscle-wasting conditions. They are making a difference today, providing vital information and support to help people live as independently as possible. They are making a difference for tomorrow, accelerating progress in research and driving the campaign for access to emerging treatments.