Many of you will know that I took up running to help with my recovery following a serious bike accident. Well, I ran the Virtual London Marathon in October 2020 and on 3 October 2021 I will be running my first real London Marathon (hopefully) to raise money for The Lily Foundation. They fund much-needed medical research into mitochondrial disease, raise awareness and support families affected by the condition.

Just before Christmas 2017 my friends beautiful 15 month old girl, Esther, was unexpectedly diagnosed with Leigh disease, a mitochondrial disorder. It’s a rare, progressive, life-limiting condition which has no proven treatment and no cure… yet! Children with the condition often develop severe disabilities and have very short lives.

Mitochondrial disease is very rare, complex and affects people differently. Essentially it prevents cells producing enough energy in times of metabolic stress, such as fighting an infection, which can then damage any of the major organs.

The best hope for children like Esther is to try to manage the condition as well as possible while hoping a better treatment or even a cure can be found in time.

The Lily Foundation is a small but very effective charity and they have provided great support to Esther’s family over the last 2 years. There’s lots of information about the research projects The Lily Foundation funds on its website, as well as this short film narrated by Bill Nighy which explains what mitochondrial disease is.

At three years old, Esther is very well. She has some brain damage, most likely acquired after having chicken pox as a baby, but with physio and speech therapy she’s making great progress towards being able to walk and talk. We’re optimistic that if we can keep her healthy, and with the fantastic support she has from the many people involved in her care, she can continue to live a happy life.

Please dig deep and sponsor me to help this fantastic charity continue their great work!

Thank you!