I’m running in the 2015 London Marathon representing The Anaphylaxis Campaign http://www.anaphylaxis.org.uk  a UK based charity.  40km is a long way for me having only ever run as far as 10km twice in my life.

My inspiration for this challenge is my beautiful daughter Madeleine Maria Lineham who passed away suddenly from an Anaphylactic Shock on Tuesday 14th January 2014. She was just 10 years and 10 months old.  Maddie did not suffer from Anaphylaxis but was Asthmatic and had minor allergies.  Maddie tried a crumb of something new to her containing four natural ingredients to which she had not been allergic previously and had eaten before.  She had an immediate reaction with her lips tingling and strong abdominal pain and was sick on arrival at the doctor's but had no swelling to her face.  Maddie passed away within the hour.

The trigger to Maddie’s Anaphylactic Shock has yet to be established but she was not believed by the medical profession to be at risk and therefore was never prescribed an EpiPen.  Through research I have now read that children who suffer from Asthma and have allergies are at risk of suddenly developing a life threatening allergy.

The Anaphylaxis Campaign aim to create a safe environment for all people with allergies by educating and raising awareness within the food industry, schools, colleges and with health professionals.  Their focus is on medical facts, food labelling, risk reduction and allergen management.   They also provide support through a programme of workshops for parents of allergic children.

Losing Maddie has broken my heart but I am determined her memory will live on.  Running the 2015 London Marathon in memory of Maddie and on behalf of the Anaphylaxis Campaign will be hugely humbling for me and I’m sure very emotional.

I’m hoping by circulating this JustGiving webpage which you may choose to forward to your extended network, a child’s life somewhere at similar risk could be saved.  Even if you choose not to donate, being made aware of the risk could save a child.

If you are happy to donate I would be extremely grateful for your support.

All my very best

Neil Lineham

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.