Adam Green from Burwell is training hard for next month’s London Marathon. A keen runner, he’s keen to improve on his previous London Marathon time of four hours 12 minutes, but most importantly, he’s aiming to raise £2,000 for Children’s Liver Disease Foundation (CLDF), a charity very close to his heart.
Adam, a 31 year old accountant, and his wife, Sammy, knew nothing of CLDF until their little daughter, Ella, was born in December 2022. “From the start, we knew all was not well with Ella,” explains Adam. “She was in intensive care for a few days as she wasn’t meeting all the expected markers and, although she was allowed home in time for Christmas, our health visitor was concerned about her jaundice and suggested we request a blood test. Doctors at our local hospital now believed the problem was with her liver and referred us to the specialist unit at Kings College Hospital in London. There, further investigations, including genetic tests, revealed that she has Alpha 1 Antitrypsin Deficiency.
“It was a real shock to discover that our precious new baby, who was not even three months old, had a rare, lifelong condition we had never even heard of. It was a lot to take in but the staff at Kings provided us with excellent information about Alpha 1 and its implications which we now know is from Children’s Liver Disease Foundation.
“The info from CLDF, both in their leaflets and on their website, was written in plain English and gave us all the facts we needed without scaring us. Crucially it also gave us the reassurance that we are not alone. This was a big help to us in those early days and although Ella is thankfully doing well at the moment and responding to treatment, she needs regular monitoring and will need the support of CLDF as she grows up and has questions of her own.
“I wanted to do something to give back and the London Marathon was an obvious choice. Not only can I raise much needed funds for a cause which is now very personal to me but also raise awareness of a condition which affects around 1 in 3000 people, yet no-one has heard of.
“I’m on track with my training and would love to finish in three and a half hours. The most important target for me though is my fundraising. I’ve had fantastic support from my family, friends and the local community and if I can raise £2,000 with this marathon, I’ll know I’ve done something really positive for Ella’s future.”
Michelle Wilkins, Head of Services at Children’s Liver Disease Foundation commented: “CLDF is the only UK charity dedicated to fighting all childhood liver diseases, by providing information and emotional support, funds for research and a voice for all those affected. In order to do this, however, we rely on voluntary donations, so we are delighted to hear that Adam has chosen to run the marathon for us. He really will be making a difference to Ella and children like her throughout the UK. We hope he hits his fundraising and his time target and will be there to cheer him on!”
You can support Adam’s London Marathon challenge by going to Adam Green is fundraising for Children’s Liver Disease Foundation (justgiving.com)
