LIPHOOK man Mark Downer is running in this year’s Brighton Marathon to raise funds for Coeliac UK, the national charity for people with coeliac disease.
The 46-year-old is running for the charity on Sunday, April 17, because his three-year-old daughter, Megan, was diagnosed with the condition two years ago and he wants to raise money to help with early diagnosis, especially in children.
Coeliac disease is a serious autoimmune disease caused by a reaction to gluten. When gluten is eaten, damage to the gut lining occurs. There is no cure or medication for the condition; the only treatment is a lifelong, strict gluten-free diet.
If someone with coeliac disease doesn’t stick to a gluten-free diet, the disease can lead to conditions such as malnutrition, osteoporosis and small bowel cancer.
Mark said: “I am running the Brighton Marathon this year to raise awareness and to raise funds for Coeliac UK because we saw what a devastating impact it had on our daughter when she was only a year old and quickly and dangerously started losing weight with daily pain and sickness.
“Megan has a very severe reaction to gluten and she was lucky to be diagnosed in just a couple of months because as a family we recognised the symptoms because her great grandfather also had coeliac disease.
“We now know many people who were not as quick to get a diagnosis because they didn’t know the symptoms. Anything that can be done to raise awareness and speed up diagnosis, especially in children, is important to me.
“I am delighted to be running for Coeliac UK this year. I ran the Great South Run in Portsmouth in 2014 and raised £305 but this is my first marathon and training is going extremely well.
“I am very happy to do my bit to raise awareness of coeliac disease by running the Brighton Marathon. If it means that just one more person thinks that it’s worth getting tested as a result then that would be fantastic.”
To sponsor Mark, visit www.justgiving.com/Mark-Downer3