“I cried at the start, while I was running, and at the end – it was 13 miles of emotion” – Tammy

Every step of her first ever half-marathon, and knowing it was in support of Scottish Huntington’s Association, was loaded with emotion for mum Tammy Sinclair.

Fuelled by a determination to spread awareness and raise as much money as possible, the 35-year-old from Burntisland in Fife completed the 13.5 mile run as part of the Edinburgh Marathon Festival earlier this month.

And she admits to being in tears when her 18-year-old daughter Aleece hugged her at the finish line.

“Aleece has done fundraising at her school in the past, she invited her Specialist Youth Advisor to give a talk to pupils, and she is a Youth Ambassador for Scottish Huntington’s Association,” said Tammy.

“Watching how she has grown up without knowing whether or not she will develop Huntington’s in the future, and seeing how close she is to her gran who has the disease, Aleece is my biggest inspiration.

“I cried at the start of the run, I cried during it and I cried at the end. I felt joy, sadness, empathy, and pride that I was doing it as Aleece’s mum. It was time for me to step up and do my part, and it was an honour to raise over £400 for Scottish Huntington’s Association.

“We were running down Portobello beach and ‘Perfect Day’ was playing, the song that was on when Aleece was born. It felt so fitting that I stopped for a few moments to take it in.”

Having discovered recently that her dad has tested negative for the gene that causes Huntington’s, Aleece now knows that she won’t develop the disease. But with family members who have the disease and others who are at risk of having inherited the faulty gene, Tammy and Aleece are determined to continue doing that they can.

“We want to spread awareness – when I was fundraising, I realised that most people don’t know about Huntington’s disease or that it is passed down through the generations. I came from a family that doesn’t have any inherited conditions so before Aleece was born it was all new to me too,” said Tammy.

“Aleece’s dad and I aren’t together but we’re on very good terms – he thought I was crazy for signing up for the half marathon, especially as I hadn’t done any training for it, but he is very proud of us both.

“Scottish Huntington’s Association has been incredible for Aleece. Its Youth Service is a huge part of her life and has always been there to answer the questions that I can’t and to give Aleece the space she needs to talk. To have that support in her life is invaluable.”