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Jamie Davies

Royal Parks Half Marathon

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I'm fundraising for...

Thanks for visiting my fundraising page for my Royal Parks Half Marathon! Over 10 million people in the UK live with arthritis, affecting their ability to work, study, care for family, move free from pain and live independently. But arthritis is still poorly understood and far too little is done. That’s why Arthritis UK funds life-changing research, supports those affected and campaigns for change. Arthritis UK won’t rest until everyone with arthritis has access to the treatments and support they need to live the life they choose, with real hope of a cure in the future.  

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Heya

Tuesday 15th Sep
Heya! Hope you're having a great day.

If you've got far enough to read this post, then you probably get the gist of what all this is about, but just to elaborate: I'm running the Royal Parks Half Marathon next month for Arthritis UK, and it'd be amazing if some people would be kind enough to donate some money towards the cause.

Arthritis really is as complicated as it is unpleasant. Turns out it's an umbrella term for a whole bunch of conditions that, among plenty of other things, cause joint pain. 

You might know osteoarthritis, the thing that makes your hands, knees and such hurt as you get older. But there's also rheumatoid arthritis, gout, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and more. 

450,000 people are diagnosed with some form of arthritis in the UK each year, and there are more than 10 million people in the UK who are currently living with it.

These conditions are all different. Some are caused by regular wear and tear of joints; others are caused by diet and lifestyle (plus some bad luck); plenty of them are just sheer misfortune, the result of an immune system gone haywire.

This last kind is especially scary. Left untreated, their effects can reach far beyond the joints, causing inflammation and organ damage throughout the body. 

Rheumatoid arthritis, for example, can knock as much as 12 years off your life and render you disabled long before that.

Unfortunately, I now know all of this because I was diagnosed with a condition called peripheral ankylosing spondylitis this year. 

It's been a real curse, given that I didn't just have to commit to a lifelong course of immunosuppressant drugs and physiotherapy, but also that I had to learn how to pronounce the bugger.

It was rough, but I got lucky. My symptoms mainly affect my hands. At my worst, I couldn't pick up a kettle. Other people in my situation are bed bound within months of the condition developing. 

People even less fortunate get the pleasure of dealing with all the organ complications I mentioned earlier, with eye complaints, rashes and severe gastrointestinal symptoms thrown in for good measure.

Still there's no certainty of what lies in my future. I'm grateful to live in a time where medicine can help manage my condition, but the condition isn't going anywhere. 

I have no guarantee of what my symptoms will be in 10, 20, 30 years. I could be fine, or there could come a day when I pick up a guitar, write a letter or go running for the last time.

That's why the research and development of more advanced treatments is so important. At the moment, there is no cure for any kind of arthritis. 

There are management options, but the unpredictability of these conditions mean that it's a real 'mileage may vary' situation.

To help fund improved treatments and maybe (maybe!) research into cures is essential for improving the quality of life and lifespans for people living with arthritis. 

So, that's why I'm running. And hopefully you're happy to chip in a little bit to help me out! 

But there's no pressure. I'm gonna raise what I can, and I'll be running regardless of whether I hit the goal, so there's no guilt tripping here!

Anyway, thanks for reading! Take care :)

Thank you to my Sponsors

£116

Anonymous

£50

Jamie Davies

Just getting the ball rolling!

£40

Angela Davies

Well done Jamie, it'll be a breeze for you. X

£33.83

Manon Wright

Go Jamie!!

£30.55

Anonymous

Good luck 💪

£23.45

Lf

£17.89

Edward Wills Garcia

£17.89

Tom Brewster

You’re doing incredible stuff buddy, I’m really proud of you. The way you wrote description of this fundraiser really swelled something inside me - love you buddy (sorry I can’t donate more!)

£17.89

Anonymous

£17.53

Anonymous

£15

Holly R

£10

Hannah

Run like the wind Jamie!

£5

Joe Cross

Good luck mate!

£5

Chirag

Good luck Jamie!