An Islington man, whose wife has epilepsy, has completed the Asics British 10k London Run, raising almost £2,000 for Epilepsy Action. Callum Rodgers chose to raise vital funds for Epilepsy Action, the UK’s largest member-led epilepsy charity because his wife has epilepsy.
Callum, 42, joined thousands of others in the 10K challenge on Sunday 11 July through the heart of London, passing many of the city’s world famous and iconic sights.
Callum said: “I wanted to raise money for Epilepsy Action because my wife has epilepsy. She was first diagnosed when she was 21 and for 20 years was fairly unaffected by the condition. But over the last few years, she has been having regular seizures and is now too scared to even travel on public transport in case she has a seizure.”
“This experience has made me realise that epilepsy is something that is in desperate need of more public awareness to highlight how crippling it can be for some people. I also feel there is a real need for further funds to go into researching the condition and supporting people affected by epilepsy.”
“The atmosphere on the day of the run was amazing. The fantastic support of my family and running past all the great sights really spurred me on and gave me loads of energy. Last year I completed the same event and raised £700 for The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust. I did even better this year raising £950, plus £232 in gift aid. I also applied to Credit Suisse, the company I work for, for an Employee Participation Grant application and received another £500!”
Epilepsy Action celebrates its sixtieth anniversary this year. The charity directly helps more than 688,000 people every year through a range of services including its advice and information service, branch network, Epilepsy Helpline freephone 0808 800 5050 and award winning website, www.epilepsy.org.uk