On Saturday 18th July, I will be swimming a mile in The River Thames to raise money for one of my dearest friends Heather.
Those that know me, will know that;
Swimming has never been one of my strong points.  I have a fear of deep open water and a great dislike of being cold and wet.  I would literally rather do anything than swim.  However...
Heather is one of my oldest and bestest friends and Godmother to my eldest daughter.  She's a talented, determined and much-loved fiery redhead.  But in recent years she has gone from being a dynamic lover of life to a virtually bed-ridden invalid. 
Heather is suffering from an unusual combiniation of chronic conditions and symptoms, some of which remain undiagnosed.  She now has carers who come to assist daily with the basics of eating and drinking and you could count on one hand the number of times she has been able to leave her house this year.
Her health has deteriorated at an alarming rate but the NHS has been unable to help as they are not set up to deal with someone with her highly individual needs. 
We - her Ginger Army of family and friends - need to raise £100k to get Heather to world leading medical specialists that can understand her conditions and deliver the personalised treatment required. 
If they can work out how to help Heather they might be able to help hundreds of others with the same awful syndrome. 
In spite of everything, Heather is still fighting.  She's determined to get better and, in the future, help others in similar situations.  So PLEASE enlist in the Ginger Army and help us raise the funds needed to get our flame-haired fighter the treatment she desperately needs, before it's too late.
On behalf of Heather, thank you so much.