In December 2016 my family and I joined 24 other families on a simply amazing, magical dream wish trip to Florida on Destination Dreams with Caudwell Children. As a family who live with the daily worry of having a child with a severe, life threatening and life limiting set of medical conditions this was just incredible and life changing for us. We stayed at the most magical, whimsical village called Give Kids The World in a beautiful villa fairy lit for Christmas and carried out our dreams in the Disney Parks and Harry Potter World at Universal, we met characters, we partied, we splashed and got splashed at Seaworld, we made friends who truly understand our life... and so so much more. None of this would have been possible without the staff, volunteers, organisation, medical support and, above all the funds that go into such a trip. Memories like this are just beyond precious for families like us and I want to do something to help others have their dreams come true and make magical memories too.

Life as mum to a child who has nearly died more times than I can remember, had so many surgeries I lost count at about 50 (and that was years ago), undergone two organ and multi organ transplants and lives with the uncertainty of whether today will carry on good or be the day that a simple infection leads to months in hospital is really stressful. I have found the only way for me to alleviate this is to make like Forest Gump and just keep running.

So, I have set a challenge to myself to run from Gatwick airport to Orlando! I can't run on water of course so this will be virtual. I will run 4530 miles. I had dreamt up all sorts of things like 165 marathons on consecutive days, a half marathon a day for a year... but I also have the complication of a lung disease myself so have good and bad days, or running and non running days, and being realistic is important. So, instead, I will be running 2265 miles this year and next, ending the challenge by the beginning of December 2018 when I hope to return to Florida as a Destination Dreams volunteer.

As well as running myself, I will be organising lots of fun events and challenges so others can join me, such as running, buggy and wheelchair races, Disney and Universal themed events, Give Kids The Word themed events (think ice cream and gingerbread) and all sorts of things, some physical events and some virtual like the main event so you can say run, wheel or be pushed a mile near your own home and get your own special medal as a reward.

All my mileage will be tracked on my sports watch and verified by the charity so there can be no treating. Some miles will be run in races such as marathons, others just around the block as I train and run for my own peace of mind.

It is a huge undertaking and I will be sharing news and updates, event details and blogs here, both about my challenge, and the wonderful Destination Dreams memories we have. You can follow my progress and cheer me on on my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Running-From-Gatwick-To-Florida-1800863673502724/

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