Last November my sister was admitted to the Royal Brompton hospital after she suddenly suffered a very rare form of vasculitis which led to ventricular tachycardia and having a defibrillator fitted.

My sister was in hospital for 6 weeks. Being away from home and her young family for such a long time was very hard. But having access to some of the things that The Patients Fund makes available was of great support to her. Some of the things they provide are art supplies and motivation to occupy yourself, coffee rooms for patients and visitors to enable you to leave your hospital bed for a chat and a cuppa, a counsellor to talk to on a daily basis, carol singers at Christmas, a discounted book shop, film viewings and much more. In my sisters words, the staff all went above and beyond to keep her spirits up and make her stay as comfortable as possible. It's often the little things we all take for granted in daily life that ends up making the big difference in these situations.

On the 19th of May I will run the Hackney Half Marathon in London to raise money for the Royal Brompton Patients' Fund so they can continue helping future patients to feel positive and comfortable whilst away from their home and loved ones. mat horwood