Hey everyone!

Thanks for visiting my page, I appreciate you taking the time to have a look and hopefully help me raise a little bit of money!

I’ve decided to run the marathon for two charities, one of which is Epilepsy Research. I’m raising money for this charity on my own, and then in a few months, a team page will be put up raising money for my second charity.

Although I know most people only raise money for one, this charity is really important to me and I thought I’d try and raise a little bit for it since it’s one of the lesser known ones...

For those of you who don’t know, I was diagnosed with epilepsy when I was 15 after having had a few seizures over a couple of years. I’ve been very lucky in that my epilepsy is fairly well controlled with not too much of an impact on my life.

That said, a few years ago I had a relatively horrible year because of my epilepsy. My medication stopped working and I had to go through the long and arduous process of switching medications (twice) until I could find one that worked. I went through about 7 months of pretty horrendous side effects ranging from complete and utter exhaustion to memory problems so bad I’d say one half of a sentence, then go to say the rest but forget what the first half was. Trying to do 9-5 while being like a zombie was quite difficult, and a pretty miserable time since I was usually so tired I didn’t have the energy to see friends or do anything other than sleep.

Whilst I’m really lucky it only lasted a comparatively short time, it totally changed my outlook on life. It’s only when you can’t do the things you want to that you realise how lucky you were to be able to do them in the first place. Without trying to sound clichéd, you never know what could happen tomorrow, and the experience made me realise that you really should try to live every day with no regrets for tomorrow. Whilst I was very fortunate, a lot of people with epilepsy have relatively horrible years every year. I feel that as someone who is lucky enough to be able to live my life in the way I do, it’s my duty to run on behalf of those who can’t.

Epilepsy Research is a charity who's sole aim is research into epilepsy. This can range from research into genes and brain functioning, to research with the aim of improving medication, advancing surgery or improving the outcomes of women with epilepsy hoping to become pregnant. This is a cause very close to my heart. If any of the money I raise could help fund a bit of research that might help people have a better time of it then I would be eternally grateful to anyone that helped me on my way! 

Thanks so much everyone, I really appreciate your time and kindness. Much love xxx

 

Follow me on Facebook and Twitter (@hannahjenkins14) for updates on my training (in other words, how tired I am).

 

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.