A young boy from Aberdeen has raised over £2,000 for a national epilepsy charity by running every day in March – despite suffering from the condition himself.
Alfie Reaper, 10, and his mum have run more than 100 miles to raise funds for Epilepsy Scotland.
The schoolboy was diagnosed with epilepsy after the second of two seizures in 2020 when he was only eight-years-old.
He decided to take on the challenge of running 125 miles by the end of the month to raise money for the charity and awareness of the condition.
He had originally set a target of £100 but has already passed the £2,000 mark on their JustGiving page.
“It’s been really great so far, and we’ve raised so much money,” he explained. “It feels really good to give all this money to an epilepsy charity, and it’s been tough for me, especially with my epilepsy.
“It gets really terrifying and really scary for me and my mum.”
Epilepsy ends footballing dreams
Alfie was a keen footballer, however, stopped playing the game he loves after being diagnosed for fear of having a seizure on the pitch.
The past couple of years have been challenging for Alfie and his family, but he has taken it “in his stride”.
Proud mum Sally has been accompanying Alfie on all his runs and was “amazed” at the support the pair has received so far.
She said: “I know for Epilepsy Scotland it means so much for them because it’s not always the chosen charity, and it’s not something people talk about, so we’re proud to be raising awareness about it.”
To mark National Epilepsy Awareness Day on Saturday Alfie was joined by his classmates from Skene Square School for a run of just over a mile around Victoria Park.
Wearing purple to raise awareness for epilepsy
He encouraged the whole school to wear purple today to raise awareness of epilepsy and delivered a whole school assembly on Friday. Alfie bravely shared his story with pupils and explained the care required for anyone experiencing a seizure.
Head teacher Vivienne Innes praised Alfie for his “mature and sensible” talk and explained the fundraising had built “momentum” across the school.
She said: “This morning he delivered a whole school assembly, and the children across the school were asking really sensible questions, and Alfie’s responses were really mature and sensible.
“His class were super keen to come out and support him on his final stretch, they’re going to run 2K with him today and by the end of the month he will have gone over 200km with his mum.
“He’s buzzing, he’s had a lot to deal with but he’s taken it all in his stride and this has given him and his family a real boost.”
Alfie also wrote to the Aberdeen Lord Provost to ask for Marischal College to be lit up purple on Saturday evening to mark the day and raise awareness across the community.
His dad Paul works offshore but made it home in time to see his son and wife complete the run on Friday afternoon.
He said: “It’s been absolutely brilliant. I just got home today so I’m lucky to be able to see it.
“He’s so mature to take it all in at 10 years old, it’s just fantastic. He’s taken it all in his stride – he’s amazing, he really is.”
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