In 2015 Amy completed the Half Dome hike in Yosemite National Park, USA, which is one of the hardest hikes in the world. 

In 2016 we spent a whole day hiking in the Malvern Hills.

Yet in 2020 it is a struggle for her to even walk up the stairs. 

Due to a rare disease called Synovial Chondromatosis (a type of non-cancerous tumor that arises in the lining of a joint), Amy underwent a total hip replacement in 2018. This was supposed to get her life back on track and be able to live the life on a "normal" 26 year old. Initially her recovery went OK and things started to improve. However, since early 2019 her condition has deteriorated and a new condition has been diagnosed. Amy has developed CRPS - Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. 

CRPS can cause a person to experience persistent, severe and debilitating pain. The condition may develop after an injury, surgery, stroke or heart attack, but the pain is out of proportion with the severity of the initial injury. On the McGill Pain Scale, CRPS is rated the highest of any chronic pain condition at 42 out of 50. This is higher than child birth and amputations. 

The cause isn't clearly understood and awareness in the UK is low. Which is why I'd like to raise money and awareness through running the marathon, whilst also completing a life long goal of my own. In 2019 I ran the Great North Run in a t-shirt that said "I run because Amy can't", now I intend to run even further because Amy can do even less. 

Many of you will know that Amy has been suffering and had "issues" with her hip but no one, not even I, will know how much pain she lives with every day. No one will know when she's having a particularly bad day either because she is too good at putting on a happy face. Even through the pain on our wedding day in May 2019, Amy spent the whole evening on the dance floor with a smile on her face. Proving how she won't let this horrible condition beat her.