On 22 May I'm running my first - and possibly my last - marathon, in Edinburgh, along with my sister Sue and my friend and training partner Bridget Fitzpatrick.

 

This is Bridget's nine-year old son, Dylan. Last year Dylan was diagnosed with a form of Retinal Dystrophy, a genetic eye condition. At the moment this rare degenerative condition only affects his ability to see in low light but its progression means he may lose his sight in years to come.

 

There is no cure or treatment at the moment, but the good news is that there are many exciting developments in the search for treatments for conditions like Dylan’s. Recent trials with retinal implants have been encouraging, but the most likely success for Dylan and others with his condition is likely to be use of gene therapy to replace the faulty gene. At the end of last year the go ahead was given for clinical trials on twelve men in the UK with the same condition.

 

There are lots of charities close to my heart, but I have chosen to run for Fight for Sight as the money you give will go directly and immediately to the teams working on Dylan's condition and will make a difference to his life.   And training without Bridget's i-phone running app would be impossible, so I've got to keep her sweet.

 

 Thanks for your support, and pray for a cool breeze off the North Sea on 22 May!

 

Angela

 

PS I'm hoping to add the London Royal Parks Half-Marathon on 9 October (my 46th birthday!) to my challenge.