As some of may know Wendy (my Step Mum) was diagnosed with Scleroderma in 2016. 

In March I will be subjecting myself to 13.1 gruelling miles in the name of charity for SRUK (Scleroderma & Raynaud’s Uk) by running in the London Landmarks Half Marathon. In support of this fantastic charity I will be running the with the aim of not only raising much needed money but also increasing awareness of the disease that affects Wendy and thousands of others every day and will continue to affect them for the rest of their lives.

If you know what this is, you will understand that the pain and discomfort I will endure in the 2 hours and 15 minutes I plan to complete my run in, is not a patch on the pain and discomfort that people with Scleroderma have to go through on a daily basis. For those of you that don’t know what it is, below is a brief explanation of what it is.

Scleroderma is a rare, chronic disease of the immune system, blood vessels and connective tissue. There are currently only 12000 people in the UK diagnosed with this incurable, and in some cases, life threatening disease, Wendy is one of them.

Wendy was diagnosed with Scleroderma in early 2016 and has been fortunate to receive excellent care and support from her consultant at Frimley Park Hospital and the team at the Royal Free Hospital in London. She was particularly fortunate to get an early diagnosis but there was definitely an element of “right place at right time” and not everyone who are suffering from the symptoms of this debilitating disease are so lucky.

Scleroderma is caused by the immune system attacking the connective tissue under the skin and around joints, internal organs and blood vessels.

There are two main types of scleroderma that vary in severity:

Localised scleroderma: the mildest form of the condition. It often affects children, but can occur at any age. This type just affects the skin, causing one or more hard patches to develop.
Systemic sclerosis: a more severe form of the condition affects the skin but also internal organs including heart, oesophagus, kidneys, lungs and digestive system. This type mostly affects women and usually develops between 30 and 50 years of age. This is the form that Wendy suffers from.

With a relatively small number of people diagnosed with Scleroderma it’s not a very well-known or understood disease, even by the General Practitioners, and I believe, because of this, there are many more undiagnosed sufferers out there.

However SRUK, the only UK Charity dedicated to improving the lives of people with Scleroderma and Raynaud's phenomenon, are working to improve awareness and understanding of these conditions, to support those affected, and ultimately, to find a cure.

Their aim is to reach out to every single person who has scleroderma or Raynaud's diagnosis, providing them with the information and support they need.

Some days are good but there are many days that aren’t so good for Wendy and living with the unknown isn’t a nice position to be in.

So if can spare just a few pounds to sponsor me you’ll be making a massive difference to the lives of the sufferers of Scleroderma and Raynaud's who I’m sure will be extremely grateful.

If you would like to know more about Scleroderma and Raynaud's please follow the link below to the SRUK website.

https://www.sruk.co.uk/scleroderma/what-scleroderma/

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.