A Plymouth man, whose fiancée has epilepsy, is preparing to lace up his running shoes to complete this year’s Eden Half Marathon. Ian Edmunds from Roborough will attempt the challenging 13.1 mile run on Sunday 9 October to raise vital funds for national charity Epilepsy Action. The charity provides advice and support to the 600,000 people with epilepsy in the UK.
Ian, 30, is taking on the challenge, through the Cornish countryside, as his fiancée Claire has epilepsy. Claire was seizure free for many years but has just recently started having seizures again.
Ian said: “The lives of Claire and I have been turned upside down recently as a result of epilepsy. Claire has been seizure free for many years until recently when she had a seizure while training for the Teignbridge Trotters Ladies’ 10k run.”
“Epilepsy has many forms and while some effects are very visible, the impact of taking daily medication and the loss of freedom immediately following a seizure can be traumatic. The result of Claire’s most recent episode was that she has lost her driving licence for at least a year, which has been very upsetting for her.”
“Epilepsy Action is a great cause and has been invaluable to us following Claire’s episode. The charity does so much to help people with epilepsy and has a wealth of information available on the website that we really appreciated.”
Ian is hoping to raise £500 for Epilepsy Action. The money raised by Ian will help fund the vital advice and information services provided by the charity. To sponsor Ian, visit www.justgiving.com/edmunds
For more information about taking part in fundraising events for Epilepsy Action, visit www.epilepsy.org.uk/involved
Epilepsy affects one in every 103 people in the UK alone and 87 people are diagnosed with the condition every day. Last year Epilepsy Action directly helped over 845,000 people through a range of services, including its Epilepsy Helpline freephone 0808 800 5050, branch network, specialist nurse scheme and award-winning website, www.epilepsy.org.uk