MS woman Trish is bidding for triathlon gold in Euro championships
MIRACLE woman Trish Deykin is bidding to win gold at the European triathlon championships in Turkey – despite battling with multiple sclerosis.
The inspirational 37-year-old has suffered from the neurological condition for the last nine years.
But the super-fit former police woman insists: "I won't let my body beat me."
Trish, who regularly takes part in triathlons despite of her illness, wants to scoop the top prize in Turkey.
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She said: "I need to raise around £1000 to get there. I'll be competing against able-bodied people my own age from around the world.
"My neurologist says my fitness is what's keeping my MS at bay.
"At first I was told I'd have to stop competing but the first one I did after that, I won."
Trish was told she has the horrific condition when she was just 28.
Shortly after, she was medically retired from her job as a police officer because she couldn't cope with the shifts.
Her symptoms include horrendous eye pain, pins and needles in her hands and feet, her balance is affected, she gets a burning sensation in her right leg and the feeling of ants crawling up her back.
Trish, who lives with her husband Nick in Milton Combe, said: "Things are slowly getting worse so this could be my last year racing at such a competitive level.
"But I take each day and year as it comes. A week after the European championships in Turkey, I'll be racing in Bristol for a chance to compete in the world championships in London."
It's not the first time Trish has gone abroad to race.
In 2011, she went to Ponte Zedra in Spain and, although she was coughing up blood during the race, Trish finished in tenth place.
Trish said: "I think I like triathlons because of the boredom factor. Once you have been one thing for a while, you are moving onto another.
"This will be a 750 metre swim in the sea, a 25km cycle and a five km run and I'm hoping to finish in around one hour and 10 minutes."
To sponsor Trish in her bid for European glory, email her at trishthefish@btinternet.com
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