Hello!!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this!

I am SO excited to say that I am running the London Marathon 2021 and I am looking for your help and support!

Well about me - as you probably know, I’m 36, I live in Cardiff and I’m a corporate lawyer in the big smoke! I am married to the amazing Matthew, we have a gorgeous Cocker Spaniel puppy called Jasper, I love cooking, baking and long country walks…and in December 2020 I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, or MS.

For those who don’t know much about MS, it is an autoimmune condition where the body attacks the myelin (the stuff that protects your nerves) in the brain and spinal cord. It can cause mobility issues, balance problems and fatigue, to name just a few. I am lucky enough that right now, thanks mainly to my amazing GP and absolutely wonderful neurologist, I was diagnosed very early, I am in remission and currently only have very mild numbness in my left foot and no other symptoms. But my intention is that I will be fit, healthy and active for a very long time to come, and I am going to do all I can to help the MS Society fund research to find that cure and STOP MS.

There are around 130,000 people living with MS in the UK, many of whom still do not have access to ANY treatment options whatsoever which is so unfair in 2021. Until 20 years ago there were no treatments at all for MS – you got your diagnosis and were told to go and make the most of life whilst you could. The MS Society currently have a STOP MS campaign to do exactly that, to stop MS, and we are aiming to raise £1million to fund vital research to help people like me remain disability free and able to get on with a long and normal life. Who knows where we will be in another 20 years time.

So how did I end up here about to run the London Marathon! Well, during the first couple of months following my diagnosis, I went through some very dark times, and to be quite honest I struggled to get out of bed some days. You grieve for the life you thought you’d have & desperately do not want this horrible condition. So during the depths of grief, I (stupidly in hindsight!) decided I was going to do my bucket list. I went onto the MS Society website and applied for a charity place to run the London Marathon, something I had always wanted to do – I poured my heart out and, guess what, it worked and HERE I AM and I could not be more excited!

I never expected this to happen to me, but hey, when life gives you lemons, you’ve just got to make lemonade as the saying goes!! I am embracing all that has happened to me and making the most of it. So on 3 October, I will be pounding those streets of London running the London Marathon (gives me goose bumps just typing that!) to raise as much money as I possibly can for the MS Society and I absolutely cannot wait!

So please sponsor me all you can afford, however small, it will all help I assure you! Just don’t be expecting a record breaking time 😊

Even Kit Harrington, Ainsley Harriott and Scott Mills are on board 😊 https://youtu.be/VwjIQqzVhm4

It is also really important for me to say a huge thank you to those close friends and family of mine who have held my hand and wiped away my tears over the past few months (being diagnosed right in the middle of lockdown was far from ideal) you know who you are and I will never ever be able to thank you enough for what you’ve done for me xxx

I will be posting my marathon journey (and puppy pics!) on my Instagram account @amystrettlelocke – please do follow my journey if you wish to!

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Amy xx

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