TV presenter Charlie Webster has revealed she will be running the London Marathon this month – after she was struck down in 2016 by a rare strain of malaria.
The former Sky Sports star, 35, says it will be her ‘toughest achievement yet’, but she is determined to raise awareness for the disease which almost took her life.
Explaining that the motivation behind running the marathon, which takes place in two weeks and covers 26.2 miles, Charlie revealed her brush with death has made her realise the importance of making a difference.
Speaking to the Sunday Mirror, the brave presenter credited running for helping her regain her confidence, after she was given 24 hours to live just 20 months ago.
Sky Sports presenter Charlie Webster, 35, has revealed she will be running the London Marathon this year, after she was left fighting for her life in 2016 by a rare form of malaria
‘It’s made me believe in myself. And it’s why I decided to run the London Marathon again. It will, by far and away, be my toughest achievement yet,’ she said.
‘I’m not nearly up to the mileage level I should be, but I really want to raise awareness about malaria. I’ve promised my family, however, that if I don’t feel well I will stop.
She added: ‘Now, as I look towards the future, I am excited, and I definitely don’t sweat the small stuff. What happened in Rio has made me realise how much I want to live, and I want to use my experience to make a difference’.
Charlie also opened up about the tough journey she had to go through to get to this point, revealing that she has been slowly building up her fitness through jogging.
She was suffering from a condition called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a rare complication of bacterial infection, along with malaria, and as her organs began to fail she was put into a medically induced coma
The former Sky Sports presenter, 35, has said it will be her ‘toughest achievement yet’, but she has vowed to raise awareness for the disease which almost took her life
Her recovery has astounded experts, after doctors originally told her mother she would be brain-damaged if she recovered from being in a coma.
But it has not come easily, with the presenter revealing she had to learn hand-eye coordination from scratch before suffering from panic attacks and post-traumatic stress syndrome when she moved back her London flat from her family.
And she revealed she has had to overhaul her diet as her kidneys are ‘only half-working’, as well as attending sessions with a psychologist.
The TV personality was forced to learn to walk again and her horror experience less than two years ago left her suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Explaining that the motivation behind running the marathon, which takes place in two weeks and covers 26.2 miles, Charlie revealed her brush with death has made her realise the importance of making a difference
Charlie originally believed she was suffering from dehydration after doing a 3,000-mile charity bike ride from the UK to Rio in time for the start of the Olympic Games
After being brought out of the coma on August 18, Charlie spent some time recovering in Rio, before being transported to a British hospital
Charlie was struck down with malaria in August 2016, but originally believed she was suffering from dehydration after doing a 3,000-mile charity bike ride from the UK to Rio in time for the start of the Olympic Games.
The sportswoman began vomiting at the opening ceremony, but doctors were left baffled by her condition when it was found that she wasn’t responding to treatment for dehydration.
She was suffering from a condition called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a rare complication of bacterial infection, along with malaria, and as her organs began to fail she was put into a medically induced coma.
After being brought out of the coma on August 18, Charlie spent some time recovering in Rio, before being transported to a British hospital.
Her recovery has astounded experts, after doctors originally told her mother she would be brain-damaged if she recovered from being in a coma
t it has not come easily, with the presenter revealing she had to learn hand-eye coordination from scratch before suffering from panic attacks and post-traumatic stress syndrome when she moved back her London flat from her family
She revealed she has had to overhaul her diet as her kidneys are ‘only half-working’, as well as attending sessions with a psychologist