Thank you for visiting my JustGiving page. At the end of September, I'll be running the Berlin Marathon for the MS society, a charity that has helped hundreds of thousands of people, including myself.

In 2018 I was diagnosed with MS after experiencing a number of strange sensations, including the inability to feel temperature down the left-hand side of my body, constant pins and needles in my legs and feet, excruciating muscles spasms, extreme fatigue and various other symptoms.

MS is an autoimmune disease where your immune system believes your nervous system is a foreign entity and therefore attacks it. The attacks cause legions on the brain and spine which means your nervous system cannot send signals effectively.

My understanding of MS when I was diagnosed was very limited, but from what I understood my future was going to be severely impacted and the likelihood of needing a wheelchair or a walking aid was very high. Thanks to the incredible work charities like the MS Society have done researching the disease and working on immunosuppressant medications, thankfully that is no longer the case. Instead… I'm training to run a marathon!

I could not be any more grateful for the work that these charities have done and continue to do. Not only finding solutions to prevent the progression of this disease, but also finding ways to reverse the impact the disease has had on so many people.

Multiple Sclerosis effects 1 in 100,000 people in the UK due to insufficient Vitamin D (yes, because of our terrible climate and lack of sunshine). I’m sure you know at least one person other than myself that is impacted by it, so if you could donate to the MS Society to help them to continue this amazing work, however big or small, I would be eternally grateful.

Much love,

Mariam x

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. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.