We are excited to announce a runner in the 2022 London Marathon, running in aid of Narcolepsy UK. Please share this post amongst your social networks, and if possible we would be extremely grateful for any sponsorship you may be able to provide.
Mike’s story:
I am absolutely delighted to be running the London Marathon on behalf of Narcolepsy UK.
I suffer from Narcolepsy (a rare long-term brain condition that causes a person to suddenly fall asleep at inappropriate times) and Cataplexy (temporary loss of muscle control resulting in weakness and possible collapse, often in response to emotions such as laughter and anger).
I think I have had symptoms from about the age of 14 or 15, but I was not diagnosed properly until I was 20. I therefore had to deal with the symptoms through the last (and most important) years of school and also the first two years of University. By all accounts, I am one of the lucky ones. There are countless stories of people who have taken years, sometimes decades, to get diagnosed with Narcolepsy and have had to get through life without any medication to help with the symptoms of the condition.
Given the effect that Narcolepsy can have on daily life, there are lots of people with Narcolepsy who are unable to work or unable to do any exercise. I am running the London Marathon for them to show that just because someone has Narcolepsy doesn’t mean that they should be written off. We can all still achieve great things, we might just need a bit more support than others.
Narcolepsy UK is a charity run by people with experience of the issues that people with Narcolepsy face. It covers a whole host of ways in which it can support people with Narcolepsy which includes providing support and advice in relation to the condition and also potential benefits applications. The other main role that Narcolepsy UK plays is to raise awareness of Narcolepsy and to spread the word so that less people have to wait years to be able to be diagnosed because society and GPs will be more awake to the fact that someone may have Narcolepsy.