When I was around 11ish (I can't remember the age exactly) my mother was diagnosed with Wegener's Granulomatosis - a particularly rare and nasty form of Vasculitis that caused her immune system to turn against her own body. Despite the immense difficulties she suffered as a result of this she battled on through various treatments and never once let her problems or complications impeed on her relationship and interaction with me - no small feat for an extremely ill lady with a teenage son! I am now midway through my twenties and am only just beginning to comprehend and appreciate what my mother must have gone through in the early years of her diagnosis and even the things she goes through today.

As a (comparatively small) way of saying thank you for all my mum has done, I will be doing various fundraising activities throughout 2014, and possibly beyond, starting with a 10k obstacle course in March.

Research into Vasculitis is currently stronger and making more progress than ever before, with new ways to keep sufferers healthy being developed as we speak. Any money raised by this page will help fund this research and will, I'm sure, go an incredibly long way to helping people understand the disease. More detailed information can be found at: http://www.vasculitis.org.uk/

Any donation to Vasculitis UK made via this page entitles you to one free hug and the right to laugh at me as I get caked in mud and various other substances.The hug can be redeemed before or after the aforementioned caking.