Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

My mum, Janet, suffered with osteoarthritis for many years and over time became wheel chair bound. For someone whose life had been always been so active and vital, first with her children and later grandchildren, this was horrendous. From being the central point around which the family revolved and a dynamic force of nature, to constant pain, immobility and utter reliance on others, I’m sure you’ll understand how this affected her.

We’re a very close family, who are lucky enough to live close and provide support to each other, so we could be there for Mum and my amazing Dad, who was her primary carer. In May of last year Mum had a mini stroke and was hospitalised. The family was informed that the stroke was a symptom of underlying health problems that hadn’t previously been diagnosed. Within a few days of being in hospital her health deteriorated rapidly and she was moved to Intensive Care.

One of the things that still haunts us today is the agony she was in with her arthritis during this period. Already seriously ill, the pain was particularly excruciating whenever she was being moved in her bed, or being taken for scans necessitating having to lie on flat hard surfaces. The nurses tried their very best to minimise her pain, but the osteoarthritis in her hips and lower back made this a misery for her.

We lost Mum on 10th June 2014 and wanting to do something in her memory is the reason I am going to run the marathon and I hope you will help me achieve my fundraising goal of £2000 for Arthritis Research Uk.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.