An Ely woman will run 10,000 meters for charity on Bank Holiday Monday (May 28) in memory of her son.

Claire Wright will run the Vitality London 10,000 to raise money and awareness for the charity The Lily Foundation in memory of her son Jacob who died from mitochondrial disease six years ago.

Jacob died aged 16 months in April 2012 and Claire is hoping to add to the £38,500 she and her family have already raised for the charity since his death.

“This will be my second Vitality London 10,000 for The Lily Foundation. My first was in 2016 and since then I have had a beautiful baby girl, Charlotte,” said Claire.

“This time I will be running with my sister Katie as part of Team Lily raising money and awareness in their fight against mitochondrial disease.”

She added: “Jacob was born in December 2010 and everything was brilliant. He was so gorgeous and made our lives complete…but we had no clue about the ticking time bomb he was born with.”

Claire’s young son started to show symptoms of the condition when he began suffering from seizures at nine-months-old and deteriorated quickly.

“It all really began when he had his first seizure,” said the 44-year old.

“This led to many more and the doctors couldn’t control them.

“They got worse; he was having on average 20 throughout the day and night lasting up to 20 minutes at a time.

“He lost all his skills; he couldn’t hold his own head, sit or move. It also took his smile and his voice before it took the part of his brain that told him to breathe and ultimately his life in April 2012.”

Soon after Jacob’s death, Claire and her family contacted The Lily Foundation, the UK’s leading charity dedicated to fighting the disease and supporting those affected by the condition.

Claire added: “The charity has done so much for our family. They organised a short holiday to Center Parcs for us when Jacob was still here.

“They also give us comfort by knowing they are doing all they can to find a cure for this awful disease through funding world class research.”

The Vitality London 10,000 begins at 10am on Monday May 28, with runners starting on The Mall and finishing opposite Buckingham Palace.

A spokesman for The Lily Foundation said: “Mitochondrial disease is a genetic condition and the term refers to a number of diseases caused by faulty mitochondria, the tiny ‘organelles’ in cells which are responsible for generating over 90% of the energy we need to live.

“When mitochondria fail it can affect any part of the body in a variety of devastating ways.

“This makes it difficult to diagnose as the symptoms can mimic other serious illnesses. Every day in the UK a child is born who will develop the disease.”