For Charlie & families with PWS.

• My work colleague’s son has this rare condition called Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS). It's a complex neurodevelopmental disorder resulting from an abnormality at chromosome 15. It is associated with a wide range of symptoms, including hypotonia (low muscle tone), hyperphagia (excessive appetite) and altered metabolism. It has impacts on cognition and causes learning disabilities, anxiety and impaired emotional regulation. Many symptoms are thought to be brought about by dysfunction of the hypothalamus in the brain.

• Charlie, is a very kind hearted boy and quite a fan of running himself...having recently completed the colour run with his local school. Life is a wee bit harder for Charlie… born with low muscle tone, he has delayed development and often has difficulty regulating his emotions. Charlie has also recently developed scoliosis (curvature of the spine), and will at some point experience major challenges with food, such as not feeling full after a meal. Some kids with PWS have an insatiable appetite from age 2 as their brain doesn't tell them they are full from food.

• The PWSA (NZ) helps to make life a little better for children like Charlie, and their families. They do this by providing ground-level advocacy, education, and support. Your donations will directly benefit kiwis associated with PWS and improve their quality of life.

• I'll be running the Paris Marathon in April to raise funds for PWS, I'm hoping for $2k, $2 for every km I'll run in training for the race.