A Teddington couple, whose daughter has epilepsy, are preparing to lace up their running shoes to complete the Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon. Louise Fein and Julian Pike will take part in aid of Epilepsy Action, the UK’s largest member-led epilepsy organisation.
Louise and Julian's two-year-old daughter, Lottie, has epilepsy. Despite trying various medications, Lottie's seizures are not controlled and happen around 70 times a day. Louise and Julian will run 13.1 miles through central London on Sunday 11 October to help support Lottie and the 456,000 people living with epilepsy in the UK.
Louise said: "We decided to enter having discovered that our third child, Lottie, aged two, had been diagnosed with epilepsy. We therefore wanted to do something positive and raise money for Epilepsy Action. We have used its website for a good deal of information, which has been informative and supportive, as we come to terms with Lottie’s condition.
"Neither of us has run a half marathon before, so the event will be a personal challenge for us both. We had hoped to raise £1,000. However, family, friends, colleagues and work acquaintances have been incredibly supportive and generous. We will have raised around £5,000 by the time of the run. The hope is to raise as much as possible!"
Katie Stocks, fundraising officer at Epilepsy Action, said: "We'd like to say a big thank you to Louise and Julian and wish them lots of luck for the event. The vital funds they have raised will make a huge difference to the lives of people affected by epilepsy."
To show your support for Louise and Julian, and Epilepsy Action, please visit www.justgiving.com/Louise-Fein. The money raised by Louise and Julian will help fund the vital advice and information services provided by the charity.
For more information about Epilepsy Action running events, visit www.epilepsy.org.uk/involved/indexevents or call the events team on 0113 210 8800.