Lucy to fight against Cystic Fibrosis to take part in her own half marathon

Lucy Baxter (middle), 18, has organised a charity run from Burscough to New Longton in aid of Cystic Fibrosis, which she suffers from.

Supported by dozens of friends and family, 18-year-old Lucy Baxter has organised a 13 and a half mile run in an attempt to combat her chronic illness Cystic Fibrosis.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disorder mostly affecting the lungs and means Lucy has difficulty breathing and coughs up mucus as a result of frequent lung infections.

But despite this, the Bolton School student will run 10km to help improve her fitness as well as raising money to help find a so-far elusive cure for the condition.

“I organised ‘Leg it for Lucy’ by just texting some of my friends to see if they’d sponsor me or join in,” she said.

“Within an hour more than 30 people wanted to do it! From there the seed of the idea grew very quickly.

“It’s really difficult to put on weight. Lots of people may think this is a wonderful thing! But when everyday is a struggle for calories and not losing kilograms, just maintaining a healthy minimum weight becomes a real challenge.

“Having Cystic Fibrosis myself, I knew this would be a little more difficult than for the average person, but I was up for the challenge! Due to my CF, on any normal day I have to do one hour of physiotherapy and treatment in the morning, and the same again in the evening.

“The extra effort needed for me to train for this run is therefore incredibly hard work. The support and encouragement of my family and friends has been unbelievable, and I’m amazed at how the Leg it for Lucy campaign has taken off.

“This all inspires me to keep at it and try to do my very best.”

Now on Saturday, March 4, up to 60 people will be running, walking or cycling the 22km organised by Lucy, from St. John’s Church in Burscough to the Methodist Church Hall in New Longton.

Alongside Lucy, who will join in half way, the youngest will be six-years-old and the oldest into their 60s with cake stalls and a band playing for the fundraisers at the finish line.

And Lucy, who lives in New Longton with mum Jill and dad Steven, is also raising money for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust and is hoping to reach her £5,000 target.

So far almost £3,000 has been given in donations and to help support Lucy’s cause click here