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Marilena Segnini with her husband Alan WilkinsonChile: 8 March 2010

Hola I’m Marilena Wilkinson and this page is about me and why I’m taking on this huge challenge. The man in the photo beside me is my support crew and my husband Alan. By participating in the Atacama Desert Ultra Marathon, I will be attempting to cover 250km across some of the most inhospitable terrain in 7 days. A-marathon-a-day is an obvious comparison; but it is much more than that. It has been described as one of the toughest, most gruelling ultra-distance events in the world.  Extremes in temperature, climbs to heights in excess of 10,000ft, and long stretches of energy sapping salt-flats might just give you an idea of what I am committing myself to do.  The main thing, though, is that I am doing it for a wonderful and most worthy cause, which I do hope you will support.  Friedreich's Ataxia (FA) is a cruel disease of which there is no known cure.

It is a debilitating, life-shortening, degenerative, neuro-muscular disorder.  I have watched its cruel and relentless progress affect the health of the daughter of my very good friends in Hong Kong, Angelo and Monica Pepe.  Angelo worked tirelessly raising funds for research into the disease, and spent lots of his own money too. Sadly, Angelo succumbed to cancer at the end of 2008, and, before he died, I promised myself that I would try and help towards his work, and raise money for research in the hope that a cure can be found.  The charities for which I will be raising money are Ataxia UK and  Friedreich's Ataxia Research Alliance (FARA).  FARA is a non-profit, tax-exempt organisation dedicated to curing FA through research, pharmaceutical/biotech drug development, clinical trials and scientific conferences. I know you receive many requests of this nature, but I do hope you will be able to support me in this challenge and give generously.

I have established a page on Just Giving www.justgiving.com/Marilena-Segnini-Wilkinson so please follow the link to make your donation to Ataxia UK.  Alternatively, please use the following link to make donations to FARA https://app.etapestry.com/hosted/FriedreichsAtaxiaResearchA/OnlineDonation.html

Many thanks to all my friends who have already donated through just giving and also, thank you so much for believing in me, I hope I won't let you down.  Knowing you care will give me more strength to carry on until the end.  I will be thinking of you.

Marilena’s website  Marilena’s blog

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