My son Joshua contracted chicken pox encephalitis when he was 2 years old.  We had never heard of encephalitis until Joshua fell ill and we were told his chances of survival were minimal.  Thankfully he proved everyone wrong and recovered but now 3 years later, we are beginning to realise the extent of the damage this awful disease caused.

Joshua has been left with a brain injury, he has a severe speech and language disorder, sensory processing issues, fine and gross motor skills problems, a lack of understanding of emotions and the list gets longer every day.  The Eden Dora Trust are offering us help and support and I need to give them something back and raise awareness of encephalitis as an illness and as something which leaves terrible after effects, after effects which will live with us all forever.

Our lives were changed the night Joshua fell ill and we left hospital with no knowledge of encephalitis, no support and no idea that three years later we would be fighting to get Joshua all the support he needs and all the support we as a family need. 

5k is going to be a tough one for a mummy who has a special little boy with a bouncy bed which stops him sleeping so thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Please visit my Facebook blog Joshua's Journey and like us if you haven't already. 

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.