THE THYROID TRUST, THYROID FRIENDS
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Helga's story - running and working again, with T3

My story

I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism in 2016. It is a chronic condition caused when the thyroid stops working and can be very debilitating. I had an awful time with my illness for about 8 years before I obtained a diagnosis. As a keen runner the crippling fatigue was the hardest thing about the condition I had to deal with. I went from running marathons to not being able to get to the 1km mark without stopping. I also suffered extreme brain fog symptoms, could sleep for hours and still feel tired, was unable to control my blood sugar and put a lot of weight on, my cholesterol was high, my face was swollen and I was bloated with painful IBS.
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hypothyroidism patient story pictures show Helga, before and after effective treatment Helga before and after effective treatment for her hypothyroidism
Over the past 4 years, through charity support and information events, awareness raising and advocacy initiatives, I've met many fellow patients to realise that there are a lot of people with thyroid conditions who are still really suffering, either because they do not have the information and support they need to be able to manage their condition effectively. In some cases NHS treatment options that could help them are being withheld due to unclear guidelines and poor cost management of old generic medicines.

The Thyroid Trust has helped take a leading role in addressing this unfair situation and we are making progress. The Thyroid Trust is still a very new and small charity and if it doesn't raise more money over the next few months it might not be able to survive, which would mean thousands of patients like me will not receive support they need for their thyroid condition.

Thanks to charities like the Thyroid Trust and fellow patients I have met through the charity, I have the right medication and treatment for my thyroid condition. I am able to run and that has kept me sane through the lockdown days. So, I will use my permitted exercise hour, from midday to 1pm on 25th May, to dress up and emulate a butterfly, because the thyroid is a butterfly shaped gland and I will run 10km across London to landmarks spelling THYROID and take a selfie at each one… Have a guess which ones!

​Hopefully it will make people smile and raise some money for a charity that has had a huge impact on my life.

25th May 2020 was International Thyroid Awareness Day. Helga is undertaking a fundraising challenge dressed as a butterfly round the streets of London!  Support Helga's challenge. 
Sponsor Helga's Butterfly Run!
Helga raised an amazing £1,000 to support our work, in 2020. Thank you Helga - you're amazing!
​ There are some beautiful photos from her run on our Instagram Account: 
View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Thyroid Trust (@thyroidtrust)

for everyone affected by thyroid disease


Meetings

contact 

We organise regular information and support meetings in London
click here for upcoming dates.    ​
please click here to get in touch or subscribe to our contacts list
We are a small independent charity. We receive no government funding and are reliant on donations for our income. Please support us. 

PlEASE CONSIDER SUPPORTING OUR VITAL WORK

Donate
The donate button above takes you to a secure donation processing platform, Virgin Money Giving.
Please contact us if you would prefer to make a direct bank transfer
to donate via any other means, or if you are interested in volunteering. 
Proud members of the following organisations
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Tweets by ThyroidTrust
Thyroid Federation International logo on The Thyroid Trust website
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NCVO logo on The Thyroid Trust website
Small Charities Coalition logo on The Thyroid Trust website
The Thyroid Trust is a member of National Voices  membership logo
Supported by National Lottery Community Fund. Thank you to all National Lottery players. 

Correspondence ADDRESS

71-75 Shelton Street, London, WC2H 9JQ

The Thyroid Trust is also known as TTT and Thyroid Friends Network,
Registered Charity Number 1183292
Registered Address: 15 GREAT COLLEGE STREET, LONDON, SW1P 3RX
Copyright asserted 2019 - Our consititution and all policy documents can be viewed on request. 
Read our Privacy Policy updated 23/5/18, .
National Lottery Community Fund logo
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  • Home
  • About
    • Leadership Team
    • Annual Report
    • Awareness Video
    • What people say about us
    • Work for us
    • Support Us
  • Events
    • TTT Events Listings
    • Thyroid Awareness Week
    • Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month
    • Events by other organisations
    • Meeting reports
  • Information
    • Covid-19
    • News >
      • Press Releases
      • Media Coverage
      • Funding News >
        • November 2019 Funding News
    • T3 News and Resources >
      • Liothyronine Dossier 2018
      • A GP writes
      • Scottish Parliament
    • Information Videos
    • Expert Insight
    • Research >
      • Research References
    • NICE Guidelines >
      • NICE Guideline Thyroid Cancer
    • Patient Stories >
      • Karen
      • Helga
      • Michelle
      • Kelly
      • Pamela
      • Mary
      • Michael Rosen
      • Submit Your Story
  • gallery
  • Fun stuff
    • 24 Questions Videos
    • Butterfly Wishes
    • Kindness Rocks
    • CAN Affirmation Cards
    • T-Shirts
    • Badges
    • Fantastic Fundraisers
    • Seaside Walk 2019
  • Blog
  • Contact
    • T3 report form