Doncaster woman to march 190,000 steps in March for people with migraine

Sophie’s march will take her over 95 miles across South Yorkshire, with 190,000 steps representing the number of migraine attacks that take place in the UK every day.

A migraine attack can be very debilitating, and symptoms include severe head pain, nausea and vomiting, sensitivity to light, and visual disturbances.

Sophie lives with a rare type of migraine called hemiplegic migraine.

Hemiplegic migraine attacks can mimic the symptoms of a stroke and can be frightening to experience. Symptoms can include temporary weakness down one side of the body, confusion, dizziness and speech difficulties.

Explaining why she has decided to take part in March for Migraine and raise money for The Migraine Trust, Sophie said: “I've joined the March for Migraine fundraiser because it's hard for friends, family, work and even doctors to understand the impact of migraine and its symptoms - this lack of understanding really does impact migraine sufferers and makes it hard for us to receive help and support.

"It's even harder when you live with a type of migraine that isn't well known - I've never met anyone with my type of migraine.

“I've lived with hemiplegic migraine for about 5 years, and my symptoms got so bad that I had to stop working. On top of this, there wasn't a treatment or medication that was effective in reducing the amount or severity of migraine attacks I had.

“Now, I am receiving a treatment that is helping, but I still live with migraine each day, so I want to raise awareness of migraine, and especially promote the message that it's more than just a bad headache.”

Thanking Sophie for her generous support, Rob Music, Chief Executive of The Migraine Trust, said: “We are in awe and so grateful to Sophie for taking on the March for Migraine challenge to help people affected by migraine.

"Walking 190,000 steps in a month is no mean feat, particularly for someone living with migraine.

"She is a true inspiration and their efforts will not only raise crucial awareness but also help support the 10 million people in the UK living with this complex and often overlooked brain disease.

“We wish Sophie all the very best as she embarks on the challenge and thank her for stepping out this March to help people with migraine.”

If you would like to help people affected by migraine you can support Sophie’s fundraising for The Migraine Trust here

If you would like information about migraine and how The Migraine Trust can help you manage it, or how you can support the charity, go to migrainetrust.org.

*Research suggests that 3,000 migraine attacks occur every day for each million of the general population. This equates to over 190,000 migraine attacks every day in the UK.

It is estimated that the UK population loses 25 million days from work or school each year because of migraine.

The financial burden of migraine on the UK economy is conservatively estimated at £3.42 billion per year.