Thomas Bell

Tom & Becca's Viking Yorkshire Marathon 2023

Fundraising for Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia Support Group
£4,794
raised of £5,000 target
Donations cannot currently be made to this page
Event: Yorkshire Marathon 2023, on 15 October 2023
We need all the help and support we can get to fund research and change lives

Story

+£205 thanks to Karl Burke of Spigot Lodge!

Yorkshire Marathon, 15th October, full Viking battle gear (approx 14kg in total).

Becca wife's dad (Peter) has Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia ("HSP") and about four years ago, we found out that Becca had a 50% chance of having it. This put our little boy at risk of having it too, and Becca was also pregnant with our daughter. To put it mildly, it was extremely worrying.

HSP is rare, and can be described as a cousin of MND. It doesn't limit life like MND does, but it changes it dramatically, with a variety of symptoms that include the loss or reduced use of the legs, and can affect certain organs and causes other motor and cognitive problems.

Becca took the genetics tests and a few months on, we got the all clear and our part of the family thankfully isn't at risk.

However, it turned out that at least four family members also have the gene that causes this rare disease, and this means that their children are also at risk. Peter, of course, continues to deal with his condition in an admirable way. We were lucky, but some of our family, less so. The experience gave us the willies and we want to try and help fight the disease.

SO, we're doing something nutty to raise money for the HSP Support Group, which funds research and helps those that are affected by the disease. Great little charity!

I'm running the Yorkshire Marathon in Viking battle gear- chainmail, shield, axe, seax all weighing around 13/14kg (tbc once ive made the new shield). Becca is running it also, to (I quote) "make sure Tom doesn't die", which is sweet.

We've both been training hard, which has been challenging with busy jobs and young kiddies!

We're grateful for your support!

More on the HSP Support Group:

https://hspgroup.org/

Here are some vids from another Viking run we did in 2021 over a shorter distance, for the HSP Support Group!

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/MvX6n2AVAb0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R29LxOyfahc

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About the charity

We help people affected by HSP, their families and carers by the provision of support, information and advice. We can provide grants to help members with the purchase of mobility aids and provide funding for research into this very rare condition.

Donation summary

Total raised
£4,793.40
+ £759.35 Gift Aid
Online donations
£4,793.40
Offline donations
£0.00

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