A dear friend, Jane, sadly lost her eldest daughter, Molly, last summer to a rare disease called Haemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis. It's a blood disease that destroys and attacks the body causing multiple organ failure. Molly was initially diagnosed with glandular fever in May but her condition quickly deteriorated and was admitted to the GICU at St George's Hospital in South West London. Despite the best efforts of the team of specialist, nurses and support staff who helped Molly, she sadly passed away six weeks later. She was just 19 years old.
I knew Molly through Jane and admit that although I didn't know her well she was always full of the joys of life, enthusiastic, loved playing with my children and had a beautiful warm smile.
To help raise funds for St Georges Hospital I'm running two marathons in two weeks, Manchester on the 10th of April and London a fortnight later. The funds raised with help provide resources for the team and enhance the care they provide. I've run a few marathons many years ago. It's tough but now having a family of my own has made fitting in training miles challenging but more importantly, given me a sense of how devastating the loss of a child might feel.
Please donate generously to help Molly keep smiling.