Hi, 

I'm running a the Salisbury 20km (12.4miles) on August 11th 2013 for Parkinson's UK. 

Parkinson's is a progressive neurological condition that effects one in every 500 people in the UK, mainly those aged over 50. It's basically a loss of nerve cells in the brain which causes symptoms such as a tremor, rigidity and slowness of movement. Those affected by it can deteriorate very quickly. My nan, Maureen Wride has had Parkinson's for 16 years and has trooped over every hurdle and still plays half round of golf every week to keep herself active. Unfortunately there is no cure for Parkinson's yet and the disease, like many others effects the immediate family. The charity helps support those suffering and the families through the difficult times. My nan is one of the positive ones who has agreed to trying new treatment and medication by partaking in research at various Universities. The charity needs your support to find a cure! 

You're able to donate safely online at the link below - all the money goes directly to charity. If you pay tax in the UK, don't forget to 'gift aid' your donation so I can raise even more dosh :)

https://www.justgiving.com/Hattie-Pearson/

My family and I would be greatly appreciative of any donation you could make to the great cause. I figured if my nan can play a round of golf every week with a serious degenerative disease I can challenge myself to running 20km in under 2 hours, right? 

Thanks in advance for your support and encouragement. 

I spoke to my nan and granddad about the disease and how they cope with it. I've included what they said below so if you'd like to know more about Parkinson's please read ahead.

My nan takes medication four times a day. I asked her what it is like having Parkinson's and she said: "Ron (my granddad) is my carer. Parkinson's UK have social events where we meet other people like ourselves and raise money to find a cure... like lunches, a magazine gets sent to us and even a book with tips about how to overcome issues - even like getting out of bed."

My Granddad explained to me about Parkinson's medication: "It is so varied it doesn't always suit.. it can cause swinging in your arms and you can't control them, it's not very pretty to watch. It is a difficult thing, it effects muscles in the face - you can't laugh or smile. It's all to do with muscles. The brain sends signals to parts of your body to function, the problem is the signals have died so you can get an intermittent signal, so even something like combing your hair, you might not be able to do it.... It all stems down to somebody coming up with a a problem of why we've got it. It could be environmental, it could be something we spray in our gardens with or it could be genetic. We need to find money so that they can find a cure, universities are willing to explore problems that might find a cure. People with Parkinson's lose their independence. They need someone to dress them, put their socks on. She's losing her independence and that's the worst thing that could possibly be. Itboils down to money at the end of the day."

Thanks again for any donation you're able to make.

Best wishes,

Hattie :) x