On 12th April 2025 I will be taking on the Ibiza marathon to raise money towards an electric powered wheelchair for my amazing older sister, Holly.

I remember my Mum calling me while I was at university to say Holly had gone into a coma as a result of a severe migraine.

Why had this happened? What was going on? How could a "headache" lead to this? We all had many questions, but at that time, no answers.

At first medical professionals were uncertain how to explain the semi- regular physical symptoms that Holly was experiencing including partial paralysis, loss of speech and vision, confusion, continuous sickness, loss of short term memory and crippling ' migraines'.

However after many specialist appointments different medications and a DNA research project we learned that Holly has a rare neurological condition called vanishing white matter (VWM).

Holly is now 36 and this only materialized after she had finished university and completed her primary school teacher training. The condition derailed Holly's teaching career, causing her to lose the vocation she had worked so hard to achieve.

Whilst Holly is no longer experiencing the symptoms described above, the condition is affecting her legs and ability to walk. She can no longer walk any distance at all and requires a powered wheelchair to enable her to regain some independence.

We often take our mobility for granted and don't realise how much we rely on it in our daily lives. This is why I have chosen to run a marathon - to push my body to its limit and celebrate the joy of movement. For Holly, movement is now difficult and different but an electric wheelchair will provide her with the freedom that has been taken from her.

Your donations will go directly towards funding Holly's wheelchair. These specialised wheelchairs can cost over £5,000, so any contribution will make a huge difference in helping us reach this goal.

If you can't donate then I would appreciate if you could share this GoFundMe page - spreading the word would go a long way.

Let's get Holly the wheels she deserves.

Owen