An inspiring father who lost his daughter when she was only 27 is taking on the London Marathon in her memory this weekend.
Ian Rankin, from Macclesfield, is set to tackle the gruelling 26-mile course this Sunday to raise money for Epilepsy Action in honour of his late daughter, Carla.
Carla passed away in 2014, aged just 27, as a result of her epilepsy, and in her memory, Ian has committed himself to this challenge to support the cause close to his heart.
His daughters seizures were unpredictable and would often leave her feeling exhausted or cause her physical injury. However, Carla was determined not to let the condition rule her life.
READ MORE: Join the FREE Manchester Evening News WhatsApp community
“Carla was born with epilepsy and had her first seizure within a few weeks. Although she was on medication all her life, her seizures were unpredictable and no specific seizure trigger was ever identified.
"In her teenage years, Carla would experience night seizures, tonic-clonic seizures and on some occasions, she would have multiple seizures in a row resulting in hospitalisation.
"Despite the challenges of living with epilepsy, Carla always lived her life to the full, although sadly unpredictable seizures could knock her sideways or cause physical injury. She was bright, articulate, clever and was the life and soul of any gathering with a great sense of humour," Ian said.
“Her employers and friends understood her condition. However, one of her biggest challenges was navigating the London Underground as epilepsy tended to affect her spatial awareness," he added, "She got lost a lot! As a teenager, she wasn’t happy to find out that alcohol would adversely affect her meds but in typical Carla fashion, she compromised and drank moderately.
“Carla was determined that her condition was not going to dictate her life and that it would have to fit around her life choices, not the other way round!”
Ian chose to support Epilepsy Action as the charity had helped Carla to navigate her epilepsy and with around 600,000 people living with the daily challenges of the condition, they hope to support the charity and create awareness about the often-misrepresented condition. They have raised the huge amount of almost £200,000 so far through various fundraising events.
“Raising money for Epilepsy Action is hugely important to us as the charity helped Carla so much. She used the Epilepsy Action Helpline a lot, particularly at university. The helpline was instrumental in helping Carla face social dilemmas, such as ‘How do I tell my boyfriend about my condition?’ and ‘How do I speak to my employer about epilepsy?’ They provided great practical advice that was not always forthcoming from a GP or even the neuro-specialists.
“Fundraising also helps us to manage our grief at losing Carla at the young age of 27. It keeps memories of Carla alive, and we’ve been so impressed by her friends all wanting to raise money for the same reasons.”
As a regular at his local Parkrun, Ian is no stranger to running, but completing the London Marathon is a significant test that he is determined to overcome.
He said: “I downloaded the beginners plan from the London Marathon website and started training at the beginning of January with 3 or 4 runs a week. I even did a 5k run on the morning of my daughter Flick’s wedding in Australia along with the bride and groom and some of the new in-laws!”
“I do a lot of running, although I’m not particularly fast. Back in 2016, I started Parkrun 5k and now rarely miss a Saturday! I’ve done a few 10ks and half marathons but have always avoided the big one.
"When I got the letter to say I had a charity place for the marathon with Epilepsy Action, like most people I felt excited and terrified in equal measure, and still do to some extent. The training plan has been great for reassurance though and I will be really looking forward to crossing that finish line.”
You can donate to Ian’s fundraiser here.
Read the latest headlines here
READ NEXT:
- "It's an accident waiting to happen": Angry residents put up SPIKES to stop problem parking
- The deadly weapons seized by police after underworld disputes spilled onto the streets
- Teacher 'banned indefinitely' after drunkenly headbutting 16-year-old - and told to pay him £1,295 in compensation
- Energy company wants to charge pizza restaurant owner £32,000 to exit 'extortionate' contract
- Wythenshawe brothers targeted wealthy couples for Rolex and Patek Philippe watches in upmarket Hale - they've now been jailed, along with three others
