A BRAVE Warrington woman is battling her blackouts to take part in the gruelling Great North Run at Newcastle on Sunday.
Jane Grundy (pictured) was diagnosed with POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome) several years ago. She is raising funds for Syncope Trust and Reflex Anoxic Seizures (STARS), the charity that helped her through a condition that causes frequent blackouts. 
“I was diagnosed with POTS after years of not being able to understand why I was feeling ill and blacking out so much,” said Jane.
“POTS can be sometimes hard to deal with especially being young and wanting to do things I sometimes cannot do if I am having a bad day.”
Her condition is characterised by a very fast heart rate that occurs when she stands up. This can have a serious effect on an individual’s quality of life causing frequent bouts of fainting or near-fainting. It is a relatively new disorder, which is slowly being recognised by the medical profession.
Jane said, “Constant fatigue, fast heart rate, low blood pressure, severe headaches, blurred vision, and the blackouts in random places like the supermarket are just some of the symptoms we have to endure. So hopefully raising this money will help many more people cope.”
Jane is training hard for the 13.1mile race which starts in Newcastle and ends in South Shields.
Fundraising officer at STARS, Fiona Ahearn, said, “We’d like to say a big thank you to Jane for helping to raise vital funds for our charity. We’re so pleased that we were able to help her when she needed support.”
Jane has a Just Giving page at www.justgiving.com/jane-grundy
