"My name is Carmen, a fragile X carrier and mom to 3 gorgeous girls: Sofia who is 10 years old, Laura 7 and Beatriz 4.
When Laura was 5 years old she was diagnosed with Fragile X syndrome. I had never heard of the condition before so my first step was to join the Fragile X Society to get information as well as support.
I can't tell you how many times I've called the Fragile X Society (aka life saver) and cried my eyes out, from being confused, scared, sad and everything else that comes with a diagnosis like that.
They have always comforted me by saying that I was doing a good job (I'm still not so sure about that); she also gave me extremely helpful advice and information to enable me to make informed decisions when it came to either Laura's treatment or choosing the right school for her. And for that I'm forever grateful.
However, I wanted to do more, I wanted to somehow raise awareness of the condition that became part of our lives... And when I friend told me she was running the London Vitality 10,000 to raise funds for the National Autistic Society, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to raise awareness as well as funds to support the amazing work the Fragile X Society does.
I'd never expected to raise more than £250, but thanks to amazing friends, both old and new, I managed to raise over £750.
As for the training, I'd been running for the past year, and started training for the 10k three months before the run. The run itself was amazing and so much fun! Crossing the finish line felt very rewarding! I'm looking forward to do it all over again next year!"