My Fundraising Journey for JAR Project

Why I’m Running

I’ve never been a natural runner. I’ve never been fast, never been athletic, and never been someone who found running easy. But this year, I needed to do something that meant something — something that connected me directly to a cause that has shaped my family’s life for nearly a decade.

That cause is Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA).

And the reason is my son, Logan.

💔 Logan’s Story — Our Family’s Journey

When Logan was just 2 years old, our world changed forever.

What started as a limp and unexplained pain spiralled into a nightmare of uncertainty. Over the course of months, we went through more than 50 medical appointments — GP visits, urgent care, A&E trips, multiple hospitals, endless tests, and terrifying conversations where we were told it might be cancer or “something just as bad”.

We lived in fear.

We lived in limbo.

We lived in waiting rooms.

Eventually, after months of confusion and sleepless nights, we finally got the diagnosis:

Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis.

Most people hear “arthritis” and think of older adults. They don’t picture toddlers who can’t walk without pain. They don’t picture children waking up stiff, swollen, exhausted, or unable to play like their friends. They don’t picture the anxiety, the muscle weakness, the harsh side effects of medications, or the emotional toll of growing up with a chronic illness.

But that’s Logan’s reality — and the reality for more than 1 in every 1,000 children in the UK.

💛 The Impact on Logan

Logan has fought this disease for most of his life.

He’s endured:

• Painful flare-ups that strike without warning

• Muscle weakness caused by inflammation and long-term medication

• Severe anxiety, triggered at a young age by hospital visits and treatments

• Side effects that would break many adults

• Missed school, missed play, missed childhood moments

•Highly immunocompromised, making him more vulnerable than others.

And it doesn’t just affect him.

It affects his sister, our family, his friends — everyone who loves him.

⭐ Why JAR Project Matters

The JAR Project is a small but powerful charity dedicated to supporting children with JIA and their families. They raise awareness, fund research, and fight for better treatments and — one day — a cure.

They provide:

• Emotional and practical support for families

• Advocacy for better medical pathways

• Funding for research into improved treatments

• Awareness campaigns to help people understand that arthritis is not “just an old person’s disease”

They are a lifeline for families like mine.

And I’m honoured to run for them.

🏃‍♂️ My Running Challenge — From 10 Minutes of Pain to 6.5km of Purpose

When I say I wasn’t a runner, I mean it.

My first ever attempt at running 1km took me over 10 minutes, and I was absolutely done. I struggled. My legs were heavy, my breathing was all over the place, and every part of me wanted to stop. It would’ve been easy to quit — but I didn’t.

Because Logan doesn’t get to quit his pain.

So I wasn’t going to quit my run.

Every time I went out, I pushed myself a little further.

A few hundred metres more.

A slightly faster pace.

One more hill.

One more step.

And slowly, painfully, stubbornly… I improved.

Now, just weeks later:

• I’m running 6.5km

• 3–4 times per week

• Averaging 5:30 per km

• And taking part in regular Park Runs

And I’ve officially signed up for my first big event:

ASICS LDNX 10K — Sunday 11th October

Running still isn’t easy. It still hurts. It still pushes me to my limits.

But that’s exactly why I chose it.

Because Logan doesn’t get to choose when his pain hits.

He doesn’t get to choose when his body lets him down.

He doesn’t get to choose when anxiety overwhelms him.

So I’m choosing to run — for him, and for every child fighting this disease.

Following this event I will be pushing myself to take on more challenges and will update the page as and when.

💛 How Your Donation Helps

Your donation doesn’t just “support a charity”.

It directly changes lives.

Here’s exactly what your generosity could do:

• £5 — could support JAR’s vital family support work, helping parents and children navigate life with JIA

• £35 — could provide a child with a Little Box of Hope, filled with comfort items and emotional support tools

• £43 — could give a school a JIA School Toolkit plus 1:1 guidance, helping teachers understand and support a child with JIA

• £75 — could fund two hours of research, bringing us closer to better treatments and one day, a cure

• £100 — could deliver training and resources to raise awareness of JIA, reducing delays in diagnosis and helping children get treatment sooner

🎁 Please Tick Gift Aid — It Makes a Huge Difference

If you’re a UK taxpayer, ticking the Gift Aid box means the charity can claim an extra 25p for every £1 you donate — at no extra cost to you.

That means:

• Your £10 becomes £12.50

• Your £20 becomes £25

• Your £50 becomes £62.50

• Your £100 becomes £125

It’s free for you, but transformational for the charity.

Please, if you can, tick Gift Aid — it genuinely boosts the impact of your donation.

🙏 Please Support My Run

I’m asking — from the bottom of my heart — for your support.

For Logan.

For our family.

For every child living with JIA.

For the hope of a future where no child has to grow up in pain.

If you can donate, share, or simply spread awareness, you’re helping more than you know.

Thank you for reading our story.

Thank you for caring.

And thank you for helping us fight for these little warriors.