On April 26th, I will be running the London Marathon, aiming to not only win the race and become the first person to finish it in under 2 hours, but also to raise £1000 for Tinnitus UK. 

I have chosen to fundraise for Tinnitus UK because I have suffered from tinnitus for about two years now. It began without reason, so I assumed it would quickly stop as we can all experience a bit of temporary tinnitus. After days of persistent noise, revising for my exams was proving very difficult. So, if you want to know why I didn't get three A*s in my A Levels - I blame my tinnitus. I got my ears tested and had an MRI scan, but both found no results. I thought it might have been due to stress. Two years on from this, I no longer think it is due to stress. 

 

For me, my symptoms are mild. Silence is impossible, my hearing is impaired and the high-pitched ringing in my right ear is constant.  But thankfully, after accustoming myself, eventually ignorable.

 

However, many people are less fortunate. For them; thinking, speaking, sleeping and just general day-to-day functioning is a challenge. Those with severe symptoms experience all kinds of noises from ringing and whistling to roaring and hissing. All day, every day. All night every night. 

 

In the UK, one in seven adults suffer with persistent tinnitus, with 1.5 million having severe symptoms. 

New technologies can allow better management strategies to cope with tinnitus or lessen the impact of the condition. 

 

Any donation would be greatly appreciated. 

Thank you,

Sam