Emma Hawman

I’m running the Great North Run in the fight for breath

I am running the great north run for Asthma + Lung UK. This charity is close to my heart due to one of my best friends, Alex , suffering from asthma as well as seeing many children affected by this condition during my time as a student nurse.  I have seen this condition affect those from day to day, preventing them from doing everyday tasks and missing out on opportunities. As well as this I have witnessed my close friend having scary asthma attacks and see what she has to go through and how this affects her. Despite this Alex still manages to accomplish whatever she puts her mind to and is now a student nurse alongside myself. As a student nurse it has made me more aware of the effects of asthma on other people’s lives and how severe the effects can be. 

Every minute, someone in the UK is diagnosed with a lung condition. Lung disease is now the third most common cause of death, costing the NHS more than £9 billion every year. It is one of the main reasons of hospital admissions due to the poor management and poor knowledge on asthma. So this issue needs to be at the top of the health agenda. People living with lung conditions are often overlooked and being left behind. Their condition isn’t accurately diagnosed at an early stage – and even when they are diagnosed, they’re not given the care they need. People living with this condition don’t have the right resources or knowledge to safely live with asthma and this has a major impact on their quality of life. This charity is currently fighting 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 feel that by doing the great north run, it’ll be a huge challenge for me and i’ll have the motivation of knowing I am helping people all over the uk with their fight against asthma and other lung conditions as well as knowing it will be helping one of my closest friends! 

Any support would be amazing in my fight for lung health!