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With 4 weeks training behind me (I know, it's not ideal!) I will be running in the Ealing Half Marathon on Sunday 29th September 2013.

I am hoping to run in order to raise money for The Cystic Fibrosis Holiday Fund in memory of my friend Claire who passed away in May last year at the age of 36.

Claire lived with the chronic, life threatening illness Cystic Fibrosis (CF).

• CF affects the internal organs, especially the lungs and digestive system, clogging them with sticky mucus making it hard to breathe and digest food
• Daily intensive physiotherapy is necessary as is a strict regime of medication (taking as many as 18 different drugs a day)
• Susceptible to all kinds of infections for people with CF going into hospital for a few weeks every so often is the norm
• CF reduces the lifespan of everyone with this disease considerably

Although daily treatment regimes, hospital stays and many medications were necessary, Claire never let that get in the way of living .. she lived life to the full .. impacting those who met her with her warmth and radiance.  She always had time for people and was always immaculately presented with every strand of her long blond hair in place, make up perfect and tottering around in her very high heels!

Despite all that Claire had to contend with, she worked incredibly hard in her full-time role of social worker in the child protection unit, which afforded her lovely holidays.  Whenever I saw Claire she was either looking forward to going away on holiday or would have just come back from somewhere exotic - which is why it would be fitting to support other CF suffers through The CF Holiday Fund in Claire's name.

The CF Holiday Fund focuses on supporting the quality of life of young people living with CF. Those who have CF have more to do than most on a daily basis. They can never take a break from daily treatments but having a change of scene, going somewhere different and experiencing new adventures can do the world of good for mind and body.   Being a CF sufferer means that getting everyday insurances (that the rest of us take for granted) for things like holidays, is financially crippling or just impossible, due to the high risk of complication.

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