Jamies Marathon for FND Hope UK

Hello all you lovely people reading this,

As many of you already know, I’ll be running the Manchester Marathon on Sunday 27th April.

I originally signed up to run for myself — for my own reasons and personal battles, and at first I wasn’t planning to raise money as I didn’t feel right asking for support unless it was something that really meant something to me personally. But things change, and over the past year, nothing has shown me more strength or inspired me more than my amazing little sister, Madeleine

Thats why i have decided to run in support of FND Hope UK, the leading charity supporting people with Functional Neurological disorder - the condition Madz was diagnosed with earlier this year.

So, what is FND?


FND — Functional Neurological Disorder — is a life-changing condition that affects how the brain sends and receives signals throughout the body. It’s not caused by structural damage to the brain, but rather a problem in how it functions — kind of like the wiring going wrong even if the hardware looks fine.

It can cause seizures, limb weakness or paralysis, chronic pain, fatigue, and other serious symptoms. The frustrating part is that it’s still massively under-researched and often misunderstood, even by medical professionals. There’s no easy fix, and access to proper treatment and support can be really difficult to find. But with the right help, people can get better.

Now to tell you why this means so much to me.

Mid last year, my sister Madz was thriving. She’d just started a new job as a healthcare assistant and was finally on a clear path to becoming a nurse — something she’d been working towards since she was a kid. But a couple of months in, she began experiencing extreme fatigue, chronic pain, and swelling — symptoms that didn’t make much sense and led to several hospital trips.

She was eventually signed off work for nearly a year, and ended up losing the job she absolutely loved.

After months of back-and-forth with doctors and long waits for specialist appointments, things took a turn for the worse in January this year when she suddenly lost all function and feeling in her left leg. She was rushed to A&E, admitted into hospital, and spent weeks being moved from ward to ward, hospital to hospital, while going through endless tests and scans.

Just shy of a month later, she was finally diagnosed with FND.

Since then, she’s been in recovery — and thanks to physiotherapy and the brilliant work of some doctors, she’s managed to regain the use of her leg. However pain, fatigue, and muscle weakness are still part of her day-to-day life, and with FND, flare-ups can come out of nowhere. It’s been incredibly tough — but if you know Madz, you’ll know how unbelievably strong she is.

So I’m running this marathon in her honour, and to raise money for FND Hope UK, the leading charity supporting people with the condition. They’re doing vital work; from raising awareness and funding research, to offering support for people and families living with FND. I’ve attached a link if you’d like to learn more about the charity or the condition itself.

I’m not going to get too soppy, but yeah — training’s been tough at times. There’ve been moments where I wanted to pack it in. But none of that comes close to what Madz has dealt with this past year. Not once have I seen her give up. She’s stayed positive, kept going, and honestly — even though she’s my little sister, I find myself looking up to her more than anyone. She’s the toughest geezer I know.

If you’re able to donate anything at all, it would mean the world — to me, to Madeleine, and to our family. Your support will help fund better care, research, and understanding for people living with FND.

Thank you for all the love and support.


Much love,


Jamie x

https://fndhope.org