Young Epilepsy trustee, Ben Osborn has just completed a massive fifty-mile run for the charity, having raised a phenomenal amount – amassing £8,000 in total.
To put this into perspective, fifty miles is equivalent to nearly two full marathons!
Ben, who works in the pharmaceutical industry, completed the Centurion South Downs, which covers a great part of the coast and countryside of Sussex from Eastbourne to Worthing, in seven hours and 17 minutes.
Ben’s inspiration for doing this run for Young Epilepsy is down to his son, George. The 11-year-old was diagnosed with epilepsy ten years ago, and had up to 40 seizures a day. Through the support network of epilepsy nurses, surgeons and physicians, as well as on-going medication, George is now remarkably seizure-free. This journey has been a rollercoaster, according to Ben.
Ben Osborn says:
Over the past 10 years George has been on a rollercoaster ride of treatment, surgery and support.
As a result his development and understanding is starting to come on and 2017 has seen George start to say his first few words. A milestone you’d normally celebrate of a two year old, but due to George’s epilepsy this is many years later.
[On supporting Young Epilepsy] Their research programme is internationally renowned and has led to a significant improvement in the understanding and treatment of epilepsy and its impact on children and their families.
George has been my inspiration to get involved with Young Epilepsy, but I also ran for the 112,000 children and young people living with epilepsy.
