I'm Jay Sheppard and I'm the Senior Fundraising Manager at The Pituitary Foundation, a small, rare disease charity providing vital support to many thousands of pituitary patients. 

I used to run a lot but not for many, many years....In 2016 I tore my ligament and chipped a bone in my knee. I was on crutches for a while, had surgery & was advised not to run again. If I was sensible I'd listen to the advice (especially as I'm the heaviest I've been for a while and my running days are well and truly behind me) but sensible is something I am not. I'm never the one to play it safe or listen to advice so I have decided to run the Cardiff Half Marathon October 1st & the Chepstow Stampede 10K October 21st to raise funds for the foundation. 

As well as this, because I am organising Zip World London - Biggest, fastest city zipwire in the world - as a challenge on September 30th, I will also be taking on this challenge. 

I work for an amazing charity called The Pituitary Foundation. I may not have a pituitary condition but I do have an invisible illness myself, suffering from scarring of the brain and epilepsy which requires me to take 10 tablets daily to maintain a normal existence and so I relate to the struggle that pituitary patients face. 

The Pituitary Foundation are a small charity but provide essential support to those with rare pituitary conditions which affect a patients hormones and can be life threatening. Patients often suffer with depression, fatigue, and weight gain - many rely on life saving injections and hormone replacement therapies. My role is to organise events and to recruit people to raise funds on our behalf but I am a firm believer in leading by example and if I am asking others to put their bodies on the line then why shouldn't I put mine on the line. 

Too many patients are still diagnosed too late and too many patients still feel isolated and unable to manage their condition. Any donation you can spare would be greatly appreciated and allow us to support more patients. We are only a small organisation so every penny is put to good use. Thank you!