This year, Joe directed his fundraising toward the cause closest to his heart: helping launch the Tom Towler EBV-HLH Charity, in memory of his close friend Tom.

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Joe and Tom were friends from school, sharing the same boarding house, and Tom's death last April — at just 21 years old, and within eight days of his second hospital admission — remains felt by everyone who knew him. As many of you will know, Tom developed Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), a rare and often fatal complication of glandular fever, which had gone unrecognised on his first hospital visit until it was too late.

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In Joe's own words:

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"As you'll know, my fundraising this year headed down a different route, for a cause incredibly close to my heart. I set up the Tom Towler EBV-HLH Charity, which Tom's mum, Mikki, is in the process of formally establishing. Tom was one of my closest friends from school — we were in the same boarding house — and he died in April last year, aged just 21, within eight days of his second hospital admission, after developing Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) as a rare complication of glandular fever. It had been missed on his first hospital visit, diagnosed only as glandular fever with 'no further action,' and by the time HLH was recognised, it was too late. EBV-HLH is severely understudied, so all the money raised is going to the Department of Immunology and Immunotherapy at the University of Birmingham, where Prof. Claire Shannon-Lowe is leading UK research into the disease. To raise funds, I took on Ironman Texas on the 18th of April — a year and a day after Tom's funeral — despite having no prior experience in triathlon, long-distance swimming, cycling, or even running a marathon. Thanks to everyone who backed me, I raised [£X] for this cause."

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All money raised is going to the Department of Immunology and Immunotherapy at the University of Birmingham, where Prof. Claire Shannon-Lowe is leading UK research into EBV-HLH — a condition that remains severely understudied. Mikki, Tom's mum, is now working to formally establish the charity, with the goal of improving diagnosis and treatment so other families might be spared what Tom's went through.

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Joe took on the full Ironman distance — a 3.8km swim, 180km cycle, and marathon — on 18th April, a year and a day after Tom's funeral, with no prior experience in triathlon or long-distance endurance sport.

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Joe closed with words that echo what was said of Tom at his funeral:

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"To finish, I want to say, on behalf of everyone, that whilst Tom's last moments were defined by illness, that certainly does not define our experiences with him. He was one of the kindest, most honest, most caring and most fun people you could ever hope to meet — quietly determined, never showy, always driven, and deeply loyal to those he loved. Tom, you were one of a kind. We will miss you, and we will never, ever forget you."

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If Joe's story has moved you, please consider donating to help us fund vital research into EBV-HLH — every contribution brings us closer to better diagnosis and treatment, and could help spare another family the pain ours has been through. And if you'd like to take on your own fundraising challenge in Tom's memory, we'd love to hear from you — get in touch to find out how you can get involved.