Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

"I am running to raise money for The Bristol Branch of HDA. Funds will be used to improve the lives of families with HD in the Bristol and Somerset areas. A small amount will also go towards vital research"

On 4th March 2018 I will be running the Bath half marathon in honour of my wonderful friends Stuart and Hannah.

In January 2017 their whole world was turned upside down, their worst fears had been confirmed. Stuart was diagnosed with Huntington’s disease.

Huntington’s Disease is a genetic condition of the central nervous system - it affects the brain and spinal cord. 
This brain damage gets progressively worse over time.

It causes a variety of physical, mental and emotional symptoms which change how they think, feel, move, speak and swallow.

Imagine a condition which has all the symptoms of autism, schizophrenia, Parkinson’s disease and motor neurone disease - you just imagined Huntington’s disease.

As the disease progresses, the person needs increasing levels of help with simple daily tasks. Eventually, the person will need constant care.

Huntington’s disease is terminal. There is no remission. There is no cure.

Stuart, his beautiful wife Hannah, their 2 young children Harry age 4 and Bella age 3 and all his family are dealing with the changes he is going through on a daily basis.There is a 50/50 chance that a child whose parent has Huntington’s disease will inherit the gene.

We need to raise awareness of this terrible disease 7,120 people in the uk are affect by Huntington’s disease. But due to the cruel and isolating nature of this condition the people affected usual hide the fact they are suffering from Huntington’s disease.

There is not much I can do, but I can help by raising money for the charity HDA Bristol that is supporting Stuart and his family and many other family’s with the vital support and access to resources they so desperately need in their local community.  

With this is mind I have decided to take on the challenge of running my first ever half marathon - just 16 months after I started running for the first time in my life with help of the c25k app. 

When I started running I could barely walk up the stairs without getting out of breath let alone run for 60 second. But as the weeks passed I became fitter and stronger and I now enjoy running on a weekly basis. 

I am really excited and nervous to be taking on this challenge whilst raising money for this amazing charity.

I know Stuart, his family and the charity will be forever grateful for any donation that you can make. 

And please share, share, share :)

Many thanks 

Hazel xx