Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

My Dad suffers from Ataxia. It took approximately 2 years for it to be diagnosed.  The first doctor said it was simply 'old age' even though we could all see his condition was deteriorating. Luckily my dad asked for a second opinion and found a doctor who actually took notice.  He has also been recently diagnosed as having a mixture of Ataxia and MSA - Multiple Systems Atrophy.

This Year I will be be taking part in.......

The Great Winter Run Edinburgh (5km) - 9th January

Dunbar Spire (10km) - 4th April

The Great Edinburgh Run in April (10mile) - 19th April

The Sunderland Half Marathon - 4th May

Edinburgh Half Marathon - 31st May

Eyemouth Twilight Run (5km) - 28th August

The Great North Run (Half Marathon) - 13th September

The Kelpies Supernova 5km - TBC - November

Ataxia isn't heard of very often so here's a bit of background......

Ataxia' means ‘lack of order’. Ataxia is a term that describes a group of neurological disorders that affect co-ordination, balance and speech.

It usually results from damage to a part of the brain called the cerebellum, but it can also be caused by damage to other parts of the nervous system.

The symptoms of ataxia can affect every part of the body and cause difficulties with: walking, balance, speaking, vision, swallowing (dysphagia), performing tasks that require a high degree of physical control, such as writing and eating

People with ataxia have problems with movement, balance, and speech to varying degrees. Over 10,000 people in the UK have a form of ataxia. There is currently no cure but Ataxia UK are working to find one every day.

It's a big challenge but it'll be worth it :-)

Thank you for taking the time to read this.