Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust (LPT)’s Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Haseeb Ahmad, who is registered blind, will be running the London Marathon in October. Haseeb will be running to help LPT’s service which looks after people with Huntington’s disease (HD) to keep their specially adapted vehicle on the road aiding service users with HD to get around and can experience days out.
Mill Lodge in Narborough cares for people with HD. As their condition worsens, people with HD experience involuntary movements and difficulty in sitting up without support from a special wheelchair. Often the wheelchairs are too big for even wheelchair friendly taxis. Our HD patients just want to do normal things like visit the hairdresser or go to the cinema but transport can be difficult. Find out more about the vehicle.
Despite losing his sight from the age of ten and being completely blind by age 17, Haseeb is a former Great Britain ParaTriathlete, winning several medals for the triathlon. He became the world’s fastest blind iron man in 2016. Haseeb was also recently named as one of the most influential disabled people in the UK, appearing on the Shaw Trust Disability Power 100 list.
Haseeb explains: ““As someone with a severe disability I know the challenges of trying to lead a full and active life. Even organising guides who are quick enough and confident to help me train and do races can be tough, but worth it to get out to do the thing I love most, which is to run. So, I really wanted to support our patients with Huntington’s disease be able to have some independence by raising funds to keep paying for their transport in order to improve their quality of life. Something which many of us can take for granted. I really hope yu can help get me to my target of raising £2000.”
Raising Health is LPT’s charity and is supporting Haseeb with the Miles for Smiles appeal. To find out more or to make a donation, please visit: https://www.raisinghealth.org.uk/appeals/miles-for-smiles