I am running the Great North Run in the memory of Aisling O’Regan. Aisling O’ Regan was a very beautiful and talented person who in December 2011 aged 20 could no longer fight the pain caused by the disease Cystic Fibrosis.

 I was so touched by her bravery I made a pledge that the next event I ran would be in the memory of this very special person and to help raise money that may eventually help other children and hopefully prevent the pain caused by Cystic Fibrosis.

If you could donate to my just giving site that would be brilliant.

Another way in which you could help costs nothing.

Many sufferers of Cystic Fibrosis would survive if they could get a lung transplant, but how many of us carry a donor card or have registered as donors or even discussed this with our families. We all need to sign up as donors for the time when we no longer need our organs.

People just like Aisling would then stand a chance of finding a donor match and not suffer. Most people when asked would be happy to register but only 28% of us have joined the online Organ Donor Register. More than 10,000 people in the UK currently need a transplant. Of these, 1,000 die each year - that is 3 a day. Did you know that your organs can save up to five lives? So why not do something simple and ensure you have registered as an Organ Donor www.organdonation.nhs.uk/how_to_become_a_donor/registration/consent.asp

Cystic Fibrosis is a disease inherited by a group of faulty genes. In the UK 1 in 25 people carry the Cystic Fibrosis (CF) gene. When both parents are carriers of the faulty gene, there is a 1 in 4 chance of having a baby affected with CF. The faulty genes vary in every person with CF, so some treatments that work for one may not work at all for another. It alters the salt/water balance in the body, making all the mucus in the body extra sticky. This means it is really hard to get rid of colds/flu’s/chest infections. One common way to alleviate symptoms is to perform percussive physiotherapy on the chest area to encourage infected sputum to be coughed up. CF also affects the pancreas so little or no enzymes reach the stomach to digest food.  People with CF usually need to swallow a substitute enzyme (called CREON) in the form of capsules to help the food digest. The lungs slowly get more and more infected and they start to scar. Gradually, the lung function is reduced and that's when people need to get on the lung transplant list. To date there is no cure for Cystic Fibrosis. To find out more, please visit the CF Trust website here.