On the 10th October I am running my first half marathon for NASS The National Ankylosing Spondylitis, which is a charity who supports mainly boys and men who suffer from this debilitating spine disease.

There is currently no cure and overtime, in extreme cases the spine can fuse together, making it difficult to breath and walk. Although with an early diagnosis, the correct medication and exercise, it can be controlled.

Over 200,000 people are affected by this disease in the UK, and when I met my husband he was suffering from the early stages of Ankylosing Spondylitis.

Luckily for Tim with treatment and daily exercise his symptoms slowly disappeared and the disease went into remission.

AK often goes undiagnosed and can be hereditary.

If you are parent of boys it’s worth being aware of this inflammatory disease, so you can act quickly.