Andrea's story: Familial ties

Andrea is running the London Marathon in honour of her grandmother who has started to lose her sight in old age. "I've seen how much of a struggle it's been for her," she told us.  "And I can tell that she doesn't feel that she's worth anything anymore, because she's lost her sight, and it's really hard to witness."

A veteran marathon runner, Andrea has competed in the Chicago, New York and Berlin Marathons and now plans to travel from the US to take on London. Typically, she’s fundraised for animal support charities but is inspired by Fight for Sight. “I've watched this happen with my grandmother, I just felt so helpless, and just thought, "this is the sign to start helping humans; this is the cause near and dear to me."

It was important to choose a charity that meant something to her. Her grandmother, (who has quite a utilitarian outlook) spent the best part of 80 years being fully sighted she was very independent and would often hate driving, opting to travel on foot to supermarkets, but now she has lost that independence, and has to rely on family. 

Andrea says she "can't imagine what it's been like to spend eighty-something years with vision and then lose it, or what it's like to lose the independence in your own home that you’ve lived in for over 60 years.”
She added: “It was important to me, that people younger than my grandmother who are struggling either with limited vision or no vision at all, have the resources so that they don't feel like they're not serving a purpose. Or that they don't have the ability to be independent to get out and about."

The types of organisations we're funding, she believes, are providing the specific accessible resources for VI people, which sighted people may take for granted. "It feels good to be raising funds for an organisation to help people to stay independent."

We are so thankful to have Andrea on team Fight for Sight. So, how does she stay motivated?

She reminds herself that it's a "privilege" to be able to go for a run. There are many people who aren't physically able to run, and she feels, that in her words, "running 26 miles is the least I can do; I want to make the people in my life proud."  

Why London? Iconic landmarks and atmosphere

Andrea's family and friends have also been very supportive. Her mother, father, and brother all plan to travel with her to London, and some of her friends keep her company while she trains. Her friends and family have also been great donors to the fundraising effort. Even during the actual events, they send her messages and words of encouragement, which really helps to keep her going. "Because of the time difference, I'm almost at the finish line when everyone in America's waking up, and it's nice to see the messages coming in on my smart watch."  

But there is more to the marathon than just the running and fundraising. When we asked Andrea what else she was looking forward to, she expressed her excitement about the atmosphere at the start of the race: "Everyone's so pumped!" she said. "Everyone's hopes and dreams are on the line."

In addition, Andrea is excited to be able to take a tour of London and to run past some of the city's world-famous sights. "Running in a country older than America will be an incredible experience."

Why not donate to Andrea's cause and pick a song for her Marathon playlist? It can be anything you like! So far, she's got a "collection of weird songs," from the "worst version" of the Star Spangled Banner (US anthem), to Benny and the Jets by Elton John, and Kokomo by Beach Boys.

We asked Andrea what else she liked listening to during her running, and although she likes music, for longer runs she prefers to listen to podcasts.

One song that she will "always always always" put on in the last mile is Bittersweet Symphony by The Verve. In contrast to the upbeat tempo of most of her other music, the song is quite slow, but it evokes so many emotions for Andrea and really pushes her to that finish line.