Ajay Kirkpatrick, a local to Edinburgh and East Lothian who suffers from Stargardts disease, will run the Scottish half marathon to fundraise for Fight for Sight.
Hoping to raise a minimum of £500 for the British charity, Ajay has almost achieved 50% of his target after just a couple of days, and with your help can exceed it by even more.
On the JustGiving fundraising page, Ajay writes: "I am running the Scottish half marathon in September and have chosen to fundraise for fight for sight. As a lot of people know, I have suffered from a rare genetic eye condition called Stargardts disease. This condition progressively deteriorates vision from the macula and currently there is no cure or treatment. Any donation will help contribute to the research into the prevention and treatment of blindness and eye disease."
An inherited condition which is caused by a change in our genes, Stargardt disease affects the macula (the small, central, light-sensitive part of your retina at the back of your eye). It can begin at any stage of life, from youth to late adulthood, and can cause one's vision to become unclear or blurry, particularly with central, detailed vision. After Stargardt disease has been present for a number of years, there may develop an immovable blank patch in the very centre of visual field.
With no cure, fundraising and charity work such as this and the research that it funds is essential to our understanding of this debilitating disease, and will hopefully lead to future developments and coping interventions.
To donate toward Ajay's cause, visit: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/arronjay-kirkpatrick
