In November 2023, my brother, Nathan, was diagnosed with Very Severe Aplastic Anaemia. In other words, bone marrow failure. Since then, he has been reliant on blood and platelet transfusions twice weekly and has been in and out of the hospital constantly with sepsis. He is currently in UHW Cardiff where he will be undergoing a bone marrow transplant, donated by his brother, and my close friend, Joe, in the hopes of a cure. This disease affects two-in-a-millon people yearly worldwide and I believe more people should know about it. This disease can affect anyone at any time and, in many cases, the cause is unknown.

I aim to raise awareness and funds for the AAT's essential work with Aplastic Anaemia by running my first marathon,The Great Welsh Marathon, in March. Matt Bowen