Growing up Lizzie was one of my best friends and I was so lucky last year on maternity leave to be able to meet up and for our children to spend time together. Lizzie's little boy Sebastian is a beautiful funny little boy and it was heartbreaking to find out that he has been diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Duchenne is a progressive muscle wasting disease. It is caused by a genetic mutation which prevents the body from producing the protein dystrophin which is needed to build and repair muscles. Without this protein, all of the muscles in the body progressively and irreparably waste. Most children with Duchenne will use a wheelchair full time by the age of 12, although many need this earlier. They will then begin to loose arm and upper body function throughout their teens, and will face life threatening problems by late teenage years as the muscles of the heart and lungs weaken. Very few live to their 30th birthday, and many loose their lives to this condition long before this.

I haven't done any form of exercise since Seth was born and in all honesty I hate running, I would much rather have a G&T in front of the telly. However, when I heard Sebastian's news I knew I had to do whatever I could to help him, his family and others like him. Please donate to support me in what will be a gruelling painful 10K run and help raise money for Action Duchenne who are undertaking amazing research into DMD. 

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.