Running for the Time We Lost: London Marathon 2027
Hi, I'm Izzy and in April 2027 I will be running the London Marathon for Parkinson's UK — and every single mile will be for my grandma.
My grandma was diagnosed with Parkinson's+ (Multiple System Atrophy), but getting to that diagnosis took almost two years. For years, every doctor we saw told us she was simply depressed in old age. She was put on antidepressants, sectioned twice, and still no one found the real cause. It took a serious fall and a hospital admission before she was finally seen by a specialist and given the correct diagnosis. By that point, so much precious time had already been lost.
Today, my grandma can barely communicate. She mostly grunts or says the occasional word. We believe she can still hear us, but even that hasn't been confirmed. It is heartbreaking to sit with someone you love so much and not be able to have a proper conversation with them.
One of my favourite memories is from our family holidays to Devon. Every year, she would take me and my brother to a local fish and chip shop and we'd sit on the bridge overlooking the river, just talking and laughing. She was the kind of person who always put everyone else first — caring for my grandad for years without complaint, and making sure I still had a wonderful holiday even when everything around us was difficult.
Those conversations on that bridge are some of the most precious memories I have. And that is exactly what was taken from us during two years of misdiagnosis — time. Time to talk, to laugh, to just be with her.
I am running because I want to give another family the time I didn't get. No family should have to lose those moments while waiting for an answer.
Every donation, no matter how small, will help Parkinson's UK fund vital research, improve diagnosis, and support families just like mine. Please donate if you can. 💛
