The death of my friend changed my life for the better.

Running for those who can’t

Hi there my name is Marc, I’m 26, which is approaching granddad status in CF terms.  When I was younger I went through the same rebellion a lot of people do - I didn’t know much about my CF and didn’t really bother with medications; I was in hospital about six times a year. Then something happened that made me start taking my health seriously- my ‘surrogate big sister’ and dear friend Sam who had cystic fibrosis passed away suddenly.  Losing her was such a wake-up call- I realised I was the only one responsible for getting and staying as well as I could be.

In the two years that have passed since then I’ve turned my life around.  It’s not just doing my medications religiously- I’ve developed a mini- obsession with challenging my body every day, running and cycling, trying to push the boundaries of what I can do.  This peaked in October 2005 with taking part in the Great South Run - in spite of being on Cipro at the time I completed 10 miles in 1 hour 56 mins and raised £700 for the CF Trust, whilst it scared the living daylights out of my girlfriend Maddie in the process.  Crossing the finish line was a very emotional experience - I was happy for the personal triumph, but it brought back memories of friends long past.

I’ve put my heart and soul into training.  It helps me feel like I’m doing something positive, both for myself and, by fundraising, for others.  My health’s improved steadily, with less hospital admissions, and I feel lucky to be able to do this.  In 2006 I’ll set myself more challenges and I hope my CF friends are with me, because  I’ll be running every step for those who can’t.