Every pound I raise is going towards research that can make a real difference and that’s why I’m doing this. Endometriosis is a chronic and debilitating condition with no known cure and 1 in 10 women and girls in the UK are diagnosed with it.

I have a son but I fear for all young girls because the reality is, this silent epidemic is not getting any better. Without Wellbeing of Women funding research, there's very little money being used for endometriosis research.  Only 2.1% of public and charity funded research is on women’s health, which I find shocking.

If you have diabetes you can take a quick blood test for a diagnosis.  Endometriosis is just as common but still can’t be diagnosed without laparoscopic surgery, which is expensive and can be difficult to recover from, and often it takes women 8-12 years to be diagnosed.  This can leave sufferers in pain and with heavy and painful periods that disrupt their lives. Endometriosis doesn’t just affect your reproductive system—it affects the whole body.

Unless we pour more money into research this situation is not going to change. It’s a topic extremely close to my heart because after years of pain and being medically gaslit, I finally got a diagnosis that changed my life.  I started my periods at 15 and from the age of 20, the pain was at an all-time high. In my case, endometriosis had fused my bowel and pelvic wall together. I missed a lot of school and college, and I was misdiagnosed with IBS, glandular fever, pelvic inflammatory disease. Thirteen years went by without knowing the cause. Like thousands of other women, I had to crack on with life regardless, compartmentalising and masking this invisible illness for over a decade.

However at 32, I was incredibly lucky to have a very understanding and sympathetic employer who paid for me to see a doctor privately.  Finally I got my diagnosis. For the first time, I felt heard and seen.  I'm determined to stop this silent epidemic and help future generations with this devastating disease.

That’s why I’m so proud to be running The London Marathon for Wellbeing of Women. The money donated goes directly into research — straight into the labs of scientists working to uncover the causes of endometriosis, develop non-invasive diagnostic tests and find ways to prevent it. Running this marathon means I can contribute to groundbreaking research that could change lives.

If my efforts make a difference to just one person then it will all be worth it.