Hi,

 

Thank you for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

 

My life changed forever in 2011.

 

I lost my beloved partner, Mark, in January 2011 and my dad, Willie, in July 2011, both unexpectedly from a Pulmonary Embolism as a result of Deep Vein Thrombosis. 

 

In an effort to help me work through the shock of these losses, one of the activities I took up was running.

 

I was so far away from being a “runner” it wasn’t funny, but in the past year and a half, I've done a few small races, 5Ks, 10Ks, and then tested myself by running the Reading Half-Marathon in April 2012.

 

I now (very) cautiously call myself a “runner” and have decided to push myself further and take on the challenge of the New York Marathon on 4 November 2012. I trained for 5 months for New York and was really looking forward to the experience...and the pain! 

 

However, the 2012 New York marathon was cancelled less than 48 hours before it was due to start. It was extremely disappointing, but I was still keen to take on the challenge of a marathon. So, I've decided to take on the 2013 Paris marathon on 7 April. 

 

Along with challenging myself, I’m also hoping to continue raising money for Lifeblood: The Thrombosis Charity.

 

Lifeblood’s mission is “to increase awareness of thrombosis among the public and health professionals and to raise research funds to improve patient care through improved prevention and treatment of venous thromboembolic disease.”

 

I want to do whatever I can to help Lifeblood achieve their mission so that no one else has to face the sadness, anguish and loss that Mark’s family, my family, and I have experienced.

 

All of your donations, regardless of the amount, will be greatly appreciated as this is a really worthwhile cause and means a lot to me personally.

 

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.

 

Thanks in advance for your donation.

 

Yolanda