My Story

Hi all, thanks for visiting my page. For those who don't know me, I'm Paul and I'm running my second London Marathon in April (just about 6 months after proclaiming that I would never do it again). The first one was for me, this one is for something much bigger than that! Please take a moment to read my story below and consider donating to this amazing cause!

In late 1999 at the age of 13, my big sister Jenni was diagnosed with Autoimmune Hepatitis. This rare disease caused her immune system to attack her liver, leading to the rapid deterioration of its critical function. Aside from the vast and complex symptoms she experienced, Jenni was prescribed immune suppressant medication to limit the damage to her liver, but by 2015, its condition had worsened and a decision was made for Jenni to be placed on a liver transplant list. Six long months later, a donor was found and Jenni was rushed to the hospital and prepped for surgery but the donor's liver was not suitable for transplant, and the wait continued - I cannot explain how we all felt, let alone what Jenni went through during this period. Weeks later, a second donor was found and this one was good to go. Jenni underwent surgery and received a gift that would unlock a whole new world of possibilities. 

Throughout all of these challenges; the chronic symptoms, the constant tweaking of medication and their side effects, the never-ending list of "things Jenni's not allowed to do", my big sister has shown a fierce & relentless desire to live a life of adventure, often walking the imaginary line of limitations that her doctors drew before her. She lives this way not because she takes her transplant for granted, but because to live her life any other way would be to waste the life that her donor wasn't given the chance to live. I am forever inspired by Jenni's endless energy in spite of all she has endured. We are forever thankful to the family of Jenni's donor who made the most important decision of our lives, to give Jenni the life that she lives today. After recovering from her transplant, Jenni was inspired to follow in our Mum's footsteps and retrain to become a nurse - she now works in a neonatal intensive care unit where, every day, she pays forward the love and care that she received during her own most challenging years. 

The tattoo on my right wrist reads "never never never give up" with Jenni's initials inscribed between the first word and the last. This is my constant reminder to keep pushing, no matter how hard things get. I have referred to this during some of the hardest moments of my own life, and never more frequently than during my last marathon. It's hard to explain the sensation of feeling as if your body is shutting down and every rational thought in your mind tells you to stop, but somehow, from somewhere, you find the energy to keep going. Perhaps this is a drive that lives within each of us, or perhaps it is a special gift that my sister has given me... either way, I hope it shows up again this April as I aim to beat my previous time of 03:04:00

This year, I am privileged to have been offered a place to run in my second London Marathon on behalf of the Children's Liver Disease Foundation. This incredible charity raises money to fund research into liver disease, and provide critical support services to young people and families who are affected by over 100 different liver diseases that can impact young people and babies. I have experienced firsthand just how terrifying and confusing it can be to live with such uncertainty and so much confusion. The services that CLDF provides are critical to improving the lives of those impacted, and to working towards reducing, treating, and eliminating liver disease among children all over the world. You can learn more about their work here.  

Any donation you can afford will make a difference. If you cannot afford a donation at this challenging time, you can still make a difference: UK citizens are automatically opted in to donate their organs, should the worst ever happen, however, next of kin will make the final decision on whether your organs are donated. Have a conversation, send a random text, email, tweet, instagram post, whatever it takes to make sure your family know that if anything should happen, you want to give others the chance to live your life and theirs to the fullest. 

You can follow my training progress on Strava or Instagram @paulrwyatt