My Story

We are Ethan Hope and Josh Heath, we are raising money for Lepra in honor of Elin Martin a girlfriend and friend of many. Lepra is the charity that Elin planned to work closely with within years to come after training as a medical student.

Lepra is a charity that supports people with leprosy and Lymphatic Filariasis, Elin wanted to study medicine and was interested in learning more about these tropical diseases after listening to a lecture at Kings College London in particular in Lymphatic Filariasis (LF).

It is a parasitic disease caused by microscopic thread-like worms, which are transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito. This disease affects millions of people worldwide and due to the prejudice attached to the deformities caused by LF, many people affected are often shunned and abandoned by their loved ones when they need help the most. They often lose their ability to work due to the effects of LF. It is the second biggest cause of long-term disability in the world.

In running the London Marathon we hope to spread awareness for the disease and raise as much money as possible to support this cause and the people affected. We would be incredibly thankful for the donation, but just spreading the knowledge and awareness of the disease would be thankful enough.