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Jayson’s marathon challenge for Joshua
MBTC-19-01-12- Jayson Shaw is running 8 marathons in 8 days to raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, his son Joshua,7, suffers from junvenile diabetes. Clapham..
DAD Jayson Shaw is running eight marathons in eight days in a bid to highlight type one diabetes.
Jayson’s son Joshua, aged seven, suffers from the condition. His daily routine of round the clock care is what inspired Jayson to set himself the challenge.
The epic feat will raise funds and awareness for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, which works to find a cure for the disease.
Jayson, from Clapham, who runs with the Bedford Harriers, said: “I think I am going to really struggle but knowing the reason why I’m doing will help me to carry on.
“Joshua doesn’t get a day off from diabetes so why should I get a day off from running during the eight days?”
Stating on April 14, Jayson will run the Brighton Marathon followed by a week of running marathon routes in and around Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire. In just eight days he will run 210 miles.
On Saturday, April 21 he will tackle a route inside London before finishing his journey by running the London Marathon.
And Jayson did not even start running until last year when he ran the London Marathon in aid of the foundation.
He said: “The Bedford Harriers have given me a lot of support with advice on routes to run and my training.
“Hopefully some of them might support me on some of the days too by running alongside me for sections of the routes.
“It would be great to hear from anyone else too who could offer support in any way, even a place to stay on days where I am further afield.”
Joshua was diagnosed with type one diabetes aged two, and the family want to raise awareness of the condition in a bid to secure more funding for research into the condition.
At the moment around 350,000 people in the UK suffer from the condition and 26,000 of those are children.
The condition, which needs to be closely monitored, develops when the body’s immune system attacks cells that produce insulin. The body is then unable to produce insulin and this leads to increased blood glucose levels, which can cause serious damage to all organ systems in the body.
Jayson, who runs the Bedford type one diabetes support group Type One Tots 2 Teens with his wife Vicky, said: “Some days it is almost no problem at all, then there are days when he’s on high readings and then low readings which makes everything difficult.
“The only treatment is daily multiple injections or pump infusions of insulin.
“This means putting a needle in our son several times a day to keep him alive. Couple this with the never-ending blood tests, again pricking him with a lancet, somewhere in the region of five on a good day, a lot more on a bad, and you get an idea of what we are dealing with.”
He added: “I hadn’t run for 20 years until last year’s marathon and it will be tough. But knowing why I’m doing this will keep me going.”
To find out more and to donate to the cause visit www.justgiving.com/jayson-shaw8in8
To find out more about the Bedford support group email vicshaw@uwclub.net
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Monday 28 May 2012
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