In February 2018 I was diagnosed with Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). On 1 March 2020 I will be one of five running The Vitality Big Half Marathon to raise vital funds for PSC Support. 

PSC is a rare (affecting as little as 80 people per million) and poorly understood immune-mediated liver disease that affects the bile ducts and liver.

Bile ducts are a tubular system which are inside the liver as well as some main tubes emerging outside the liver and they drain bile. Bile is produced by the liver to help digest fats. In people with PSC, the immune system 'attacks the bile ducts, causing inflammation (cholangitis), which results in hardening and scarring (schelosing) which makes the ducts get narrower,  causing 'cholestasis'. 

There is currently no known curative treatment for PSC, or treatment which is known to slow the progression of the disease. Many people with PSC don't show any symptoms when they are diagnosed. Symptoms come and go over time for some individuals. Symptoms can be severe and unpredictable, sometimes progressing rapidly to end stage liver disease, requiring a liver transplant. 

PSC Support is working tirelessly to improve the lives of those affected by PSC. Everyone giving to PSC Support will help fund groundbreaking PSC research, taking us closer and closer to an effective treatment. Donations also enable PSC Support to support people affected by PSC through their online community, helpline, information days and high quality, up to date information about this complex and little-known disease.

#LetsBetPSC