Week 27 of my comfort zone challenge. This week I took part in the Sussex Pink Day at work, where we all invited to wear pink for the day in dedication to The Lily Foundation.

As these are getting harder and harder to organise, any opportunity to get one in alongside work, I will snap up! This was the case this week.

We at work invited everyone to wear pink for the day, and evening alongside our NatWest T20 Blast match where the fans were also invited. It’s something that every one really got behind and made for the wearing of pink slightly more comfortable. Let’s be honest, we all want to wear pink every now and then!

The inspiration for the event was Jessica Newell, who suffers from Mitochondria Disease (which I still struggle to say). Mitochondria are in nearly every cell in our bodies and they provide us with the energy we need to function. When someone has Mitochondrial Disease their mitochondrial don’t work properly which leads to organ failure and is ultimately fatal. Mitochondrial Disease claims more lives than all childhood cancers combined and there are still no effective treatments and no cure. Below is a video that explains the disease better than I can.

Jessica’s dad, Keith, played for both Sussex and Glamorgan as a cricketers, so approached Sussex to do this day, when the two clubs played each other. Jessica was the mascot, and when her, Keith and Victoria (her mother), I really could only feel sad. Jessica is right up there with the cutest babies I’ve ever seen.

The day was brilliant, and raising awareness of this disease was key. People bought into the event, and hopefully the charity raised a bit of money. Everyone wearing pink seemed to brighten up spirits around the ground, and really made for a fantastic atmosphere. One of the best I’ve ever been part of.  I met a few people unaware in the day who gave a few “nice shirt” remarks, but apart from that, it was great day.

What it did make me think is how cruel life can be at times. It’s just so sad that this happens to people and their family. Having spoken to the people at the charity, I’m hoping to do couple of events to help raise them some money, tough mudder was mentioned, which sounds suitably horrendous for me too do.

Have a look at all the great work The Lily Foundation are doing here