9:09 am, April 21, 2023
A car salesman will be among those running this weekend’s London Marathon as he looks to raise money for a very special cause.
Lewis Bishop, business manager at Lookers Land Rover Colchester, is hoping to make his young niece, Delilah, proud when he takes part in Sunday’s big race.
Delilah, four, was just six weeks old when she was diagnosed with biliary atresia– a rare liver disease that affects around one in 17,000 babies.
The condition causes a loss of liver tissue and function as a result of bile building up in the liver and around 80 per cent of those diagnosed with the incurable disease require a liver transplant by the time they are 20.
Bishop’s niece now now requires daily medication and biannual visits to Kings College Hospital in order to manage the condition.
He is therefore looking to raise £2,000 for the Children’s Liver Disease Foundation by competing in the famous race this weekend.
The 30-year-old is aiming to complete the course in under five hours and is currently less than £400 away from his £2,000 target.
Speaking to the Daily Gazette and Essex Standard, he said: ‘Delilah is such a cheeky character and always has a smile on her face, you would never know that she has a liver disease.
‘CLDF have provided us with so much information that it’s given us all a greater knowledge and understanding of Delilah’s condition.
‘It’s not just about the support they have given so far, it’s the fact that they will be there for us all moving forward.
‘Childhood liver disease is a lifelong condition and the fact that those closest to her have a support network through this charity is very important to me.’
Bishop has worked at Lookers Land Rover Colchester since June 2016, having previously been at the dealer group’s Renault dealership in the Essex town.
He says that training for the marathon has allowed him to get out from behind his desk and improve his fitness.
The inspiration to take part came from seeing his mother run in last year’s event.
‘If you were to go back to last September, I didn’t do any running. I sat behind a desk at work all of the time and avoided exercise,’ he added.
‘But in October, as a family we went up to London to see mum run the marathon and I found it so inspirational that I signed up for myself as soon as I was able to.’
Donations can be made here.
