Raising Money For The Cystic Fibrosis Trust

Why Cystic Fibrosis Is My Chosen Charity

Cystic Fibrosis is something that is very close to my heart and if you are going to be training and running miles it's important that there is something important keeping you going on those cold dark winter runs.

My dear friend Nicola Cowen (Pictured Right), we met through our love of Country Music. I would often see her at the local Country Music Clubs or Festivals. Nikki suffered from Cystic Fibrosis but at that time I had no understanding of just how serious it was.

As the years went by we grew up together and we became very close, Nikki became my closest friend, after some time we started to notice that her breathing had become a struggle, she quickly became very tired, it wasn't long before she was unable to manage without the aid of a oxygen and a wheelchair.

Her only chance for the future was a Heart & Lung Transplant, she waited and waited for a suitable donor to come up scared at the thought of facing such a large operation but knowing it was her only hope for a better future. Thankfully that call came in time and she underwent a Heart & Lung Transplant at Great Ormand Street Hospital in London.

As she started to recover I went to visit her in Great Ormand Street and it was like a fresh start, the glow back in her cheeks and that unforgettable smile back on her face. The transplant gave her back her life and at last she could do all the things she enjoyed again, walk, run and laugh with her new found freedom.

The Transplant gave her a couple of wonderful years with good health before she started to have problems. Sadly for Nikki she was one of the very early transplants in the UK and they weren't so well understood as they are now.

We started to notice that once again things had become difficult for her, breathing had become a battle, getting around without Oxygen almost impossible.

It's hard to believe that she must have already known her fate, as she had already seen it with her very own younger sister and so many close CF friends, she still faced each day with a smile that could melt any heart.

Nikki fought a tough battle right up until the very end, even when she knew she couldn't win she never gave up fighting, Nikki sadly lost her fight for life 25th November 1993 aged just 20 years old.

I know the money we raise can't help Nikki but if we can help the children of the future, so hopefully there never has to be another baby born with Cystic Fibrosis, then what better way to celebrate Nikki's life and her memory.

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