As I know you all can tell, I am having a thrilling time running, what feels like, until the end of time. Having done the equivalent of 5 (measly) miles every day since January I remind myself how grateful I am to be able to run at all - I think. Either way I’d like to make all this fun I’m enduring worth while.

As some of you may know, a very sudden illness resulted in my very able dad waking one day unable to walk and quickly being unable to feed himself or complete any daily activities we take for granted. The condition began to spread to his lungs and his medical team were minutes from performing a tracheostomy. He was diagnosed with the little know disease called Guillain-Barré syndrome and thanks to potentially life saving treatment, IVIG, dad began to regain his ability to breath. It’s been a long, arduous and challenging journey but dad has gotten back on his feet and is well on the way to recovery. His journey has made me realise the importance of blood/plasma donation and medical research.

Guillain-Barré syndrome is a rare autoimmune condition affecting the peripheral nervous system, usually leading to temporary or long-term paralysis. Around 80% of those with GBS will make a good recovery, but between 5-10% of people will not survive and the other 10-15% may be left with severe mobility or dexterity issues. GAIN helps people understand and manage both acute and chronic variants of the syndrome, raises awareness, and promotes clinical and non-clinical research into these conditions. For more info visit www.gaincharity.org.uk