Why Rachael is Running for Lupus!

On the 15th May 2016, Rachael Nielsen will be taking on the Bristol 10k with some of her friends to raise awareness of lupus!

This is Rachael’s story…

I have made a decision (some would say brave, some would say crazy) to run the Bristol 10k, along with some of my lovely, willing friends to raise money for The Hibbs Lupus Trust – a volunteer-run charity dedicated to raising awareness of Lupus and improving the lives of those it affects.

I was diagnosed with Lupus at 17. Almost 7 years on, I am still trying to learn and accept that I can no longer do everything I once could and, frustratingly, that I can’t keep up with my friends anymore. Like others who suffer with Lupus, I rely on daily medication just to be able to get out of bed in the mornings (12 tablets on a good day!). Being in constant pain becomes the norm and an afternoon nap is often a necessity, not a luxury. For me, the hardest part of adjusting to life with Lupus is that it is an ‘invisible illness’; it’s hard for others to understand and empathise with how sick and tired it can leave you feeling whilst looking completely normal on the outside.

For me, completing a 10k run would be similar to a ‘normal’ person completing a marathon. Training regularly, when I don’t know from one day to the next whether I’m going to wake up being able to move certain joints, is particularly difficult, and simply having the strength or energy to run is never guaranteed.

Good luck and thank you to Rachael and all her friends for their wonderful support! You can sponsor Rachael via her JustGiving page!