I’m running the London Marathon 2025 to fight for lung health!
Every minute, someone in the UK is diagnosed with a lung condition. I want to make a difference. I'm running the London Marathon 2025 for Asthma + Lung UK, the only UK charity that fights for everyone’s right to breathe. Every pound I'm able to raise will take us a step closer to a world where everyone has healthy lungs.
I was diagnosed with Asthma in high school. It was a tough journey with many near-death experiences that included 35 days missing from school. As a way to combat my Asthma, I started long-distance running. I can't think of a better way to help others who strive for healthy lungs!
Just £22 allows one of Asthma + Lung UK's nurses to answer a call on the Helpline, offering potentially lifesaving advice. I'd be very grateful for any donations you could make!
My Updates
Every Breath Matters!
Wednesday 7th AugI have never felt more connected to a charity. My asthma is why I run marathons. I feel honored to run a marathon to help those with my limitations. I am excited to be part of the solution and hope there is a day when there is a more permanent solution for those who want to breathe like many around them. My asthma is compounded by environmental irritants. I must be mindful of where I am and what is going on around me. Is it allergy season? Is there someone smoking? Is the room dusty? What is in my food? Does this home/hotel allow cats/dogs? Did I remember to take my inhaler and allergy medicine? What would be a small cold for others can mutate into pneumonia for me if I am not mindful of a winning defense.
As a kid, I was a runner. In high school, I ran cross country, as well as indoor and outdoor track. Distance was my specialty. Right after cross country in my senior year, I contracted a disease that lasted three weeks initially. About every other night I would be rushed to the hospital so that I could breathe…so much air around, but I could not get air into my body. When I close my eyes, I can still feel and see those moments arriving at the emergency room with my mother breathless with little energy to walk. I remember the hectic emergency room rushing around me, oxygen masks, adrenalin shots with additional medication…whatever it took. I often wondered when we would not make it to the emergency room on time. Sadly, after these three weeks, there were two more relapses. I missed another week of school and another three weeks two months later. There was no cure and eventually, I recovered. It was a very slow road back to feeling healthy after missing 35 days of school.
After that experience, in the years that followed, pneumonia became a constant issue for me. I was told I would need daily medication which I did not want and decided to try to combat my ailment with long-distance running. This helped a lot but not entirely. I have since run 20 marathons but had to walk my last one this year due to pneumonia. I know this condition is always there and I need to stay mindful to combat it the best way I can.
This statement sums it up for me, “At Asthma + Lung UK, we believe that every breath matters - and that the right to breathe freely applies to everybody, regardless of income, age, ethnicity, gender, or background.” Please help me make this a reality!
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