14-year-old from Surrey takes on 500 mile fundraiser for Young Epilepsy
Zac, who suffers from epilepsy will run from his home in Surrey to Old Trafford in Manchester, before getting on a bike and cycling home
Local teenager Zac has begun his second major fundraising event for Young Epilepsy
The 14-year-old has already raised over £100,000 for charity since his own epilepsy diagnoses when he was eight.
In 2024, he ran 830 miles raising money for charity, however he's back for another challenge as he sets off for Manchester
Zac will be running all the way to the ground of his favourite football team, Manchester United, before jumping on a bike and cycling home, a 500 mile trip in total
Zac told us about how he felt the need to push himself outside of his comfort zone, as he says he only recently learnt how to ride a bike
He told us just how much the support he has already received meant to him
"It's really amazing. It just shows and gives me that motivation that I need to push through when things are getting tough. It really puts a smile on the children's faces and mine."
He's completing the challenge to raise funds for the charity Young Epilepsy, who helped Zac and his family since his diagnosis
Zac says he's thrilled to be able to give back to the charity
"I'm so happy with it. I'm so happy that I can give back to a charity and a cause who helped me through my own diagnosis in 2020 when they started educating me and my family about what epilepsy was and how we should go about helping me.
It feels really nice to give back to them who changed our life."
He also spoke about how much the epilepsy community meant to him and how it's driving him on in the challenge
"I think it's everything. The epilepsy community really, they really motivate me and in the end, as important as the money is, the awareness is just as important because if we can make a difference in one person, if one person can take an interest in epilepsy, then what I'm doing is working."
Zac told us what he hopes the key message people take away from his story is
"I want people to know that my epilepsy doesn't stop me and people with epilepsy are just as normal or just as good as anyone else. Your epilepsy shouldn't have to hold you back.
Obviously epilepsy can affect your life, but it shouldn't stop you being included and it shouldn't stop you achieving anything that you want to.
I never imagined that I'd be taking on life-changing challenges, but I'm so proud to show that people with epilepsy can do anything."