Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

On the first Sunday in March I will be taking part in the Bath Half Marathon as a way of showing my support to two special people who I love dearly and many more like them who also suffer with ME. Mum has shown great courage in learning to manage a condition that leaves her house-bound most of the time these days. Her good friend Nadine also suffers from ME and has become a close friend to me and my wife. I'm sure she will not mind me saying that she is as mad as a box of frogs and she has the most wicked sense of humour. Both of them have a generosity of spirit that is not bounded at all by the challenges they face on a daily basis. If ever there were two reasons to put hard earned cash into biomedical research into the causes of ME, these two should stand up... But they would be the first to speak out for their many friends and thousands more who they have never met who have to struggle with the varied and cruel effects of this neurological condition as well as dealing with the ignorance and antipathy often shown by some health professionals and members of the public.  They deal wih both these problems with a level of patience, resilience, dignity and dare I say humour than I and many of their loved ones could ever hope to. ME frustrates us and makes us angry but they inspire us and help us to treasure the sense of well being that they still do have whilst also teaching us not to take our own health for granted. So if you would like to show your support for Mum and Nadine as well as their many friends and countless others who all deserve our support then please donate whatever you can, however little, it would be really appreciated.

As for the run itself, if you are in Bath on the first Sunday in March you'll probably see me at the back running behind the bloke carrying a fridge and just in front of the lady running on her hands. I'm not the fittest person in the world and I'm carrying enough spare tyres to keep Kwik Fit in business so it will be a challenge to complete but what ever place I finish in, 'll be proudly wearing an 'Invest in ME' tshirt and thinking about my Mum, Nadine and the many others who run their own half marathon each day without even leaving the house.

Thanks for reading,

Mark x

 

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