In my recent posts, I've written about the London Marathon, written about Serene Low's fantastic epilepsy awareness blog and on comedian Russell Howard running for the National Society for Epilepsy charity.
As a new month begins I've totalled up the available online earnings funds and am in the process of sorting out donations to the charities I've highlighted in the last couple of weeks.
Then whilst in the office canteen getting my morning tea and toast, there I see a small notice plaque about one of my UK based work colleagues Mark Pickard, running in the London Marathon on behalf of Epilepsy Research UK. tear off a strip of paper with the fundraising website address
uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Pickard
Here in their own words are their reasons for taking part on behalf their son Harry.
"We have decided to run the London marathon this year TOGETHER! and we are running for the charity Epilepsy Research UK, for a cause that mean a lot to us.
Harry is a very happy and healthy 9 year old, but in 2005 he started to collapse for no apparent reason, at first it was thought he was having "normal" childhood feberal convulsions, however as the frequency and severity of these collapses increased further tests diagnosed Epilepsy. Our worst fears were realised as Fiona has had live through her father having Epilepsy for over 30 years. However Harry's type of Epilepsy has now been diagnosed (Atonic) and he has been treated successfully for over 4 now and we have had only a few recurrences. Hopefully he will grow out of his Epilepsy, but he may well have to be on medication for some time maybe indefinitely. However both Harry and his Grandfather are very well, and we have no reason to think that Epilepsy will adversely effect their lives.
However the experience has motivated us to try and repay in some way the support we have had in diagnosing Harry's Epilepsy, and we have decided to try and lug our bodies around the streets of London on the 25th of April.