A DETERMINED woman has put on her running shoes in a bid to raise thousands of pounds for charity and help her baby nephew, who has a debilitating disease.
A DETERMINED woman has put on her running shoes in a bid to raise thousands of pounds for charity and help her baby nephew, who has a debilitating disease.
Weekend runs and trips to the gym are part of the regime for Rebecca Jones, from Ipswich, who is preparing to take part in the London Marathon in April.
She is hoping to raise funds for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust after her nephew, Oliver Hindle, was born with the disease.
Cystic Fibrosis (CF) claims three lives a week across the UK and sufferers are unlikely to live beyond their 30s.
Miss Jones, 23, of Ranelagh Road, is aiming to raise at least £2,000 for the charity through the run.
She said: “Oliver was diagnosed with CF at four weeks, so I wanted to do something to raise money and awareness and I've always wanted to run the London Marathon.
“This will be a real challenge for me, but the knowledge that I will be raising funds to help see off CF will spur me on to the finish line.
“My sister and her partner have got a lot of support from family and Ipswich Hospital has been great. “They have a specialist who deals with CF and he's given them strong support and advice.”
Despite being turned down upon her initial application to run this year, when she found out about Oliver's diagnosis she contacted the trust after spotting an advert appealing for runners.
She added: “Now I've got a webpage and I'm going to hold a charity event with a live band soon too. I've also got collection tins at work.”
Miss Jones said the terrible news about Oliver had prompted her to have tests to see if she carried the inherited faulty gene.
Oliver, now 12 weeks old, will need treatment and physiotherapy every day for the rest of his life but Miss Jones said her sister Terri, 21, and partner Shaun Hindle, 27, had dealt with the news very well and “just got on with it”.
Money raised will help fund research into treating and curing the disease and will also help provide support, advice and care to babies, children and adults suffering across the UK.
Details about the trust can be found at www.cftrust.org.uk, and anyone wishing to sponsor her can make a pledge at www.justgiving.com/beccaj.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here