I've always wanted to run the London Marathon, but I never thought it would be under circumstances like these. 

A few days before Christmas 2022, my dad was diagnosed with a rare blood cancer and went straight into chemo in January. He's always been really fit and healthy, so we were hopeful he would sail through chemo and the bone marrow transplant, and be back in the gym by the end of the year. 

However, by late February, he was struggling with mobility in his arm and hand - we all assumed it was a side effect of chemo, but in April he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND), a progressive disease that attacks the nerves in the brain and spinal cord. It leads to severe muscle wastage, affecting how you walk, talk, eat, drink and breathe. Unfortunately, there isn't a cure for MND and this type is really aggressive; fast forward to end of July (at the time of writing) and he's now in wheelchair bound with no use of his arms or legs.

I wanted to do something in support of MND and floated the idea of running the marathon with my brother, Simon. We both applied thinking as first time applicants, we probably wouldn't be successful. To our amazement, we both have a place and will be running together in support of MNDA. A truly amazing charity that have been so helpful and supportive as we try to process and navigate our way through life with MND. 

UPDATE SEPTEMBER 2023: Just four months after diagnosis Dad passed away on 31st August. This huge sadness will also provide strength during training and on the day.