20—something,. my life is often consumed by illness. 1,000 people are born every day in africa with sickle cell. i have sickle cell disease. up to 90% of us died before the age of five. our government do little to help us. and i'm advocating to those in power to change that. even in our own communities, people with sickle cell are often treated like an outcast because of misconception and stigma surrounding the disease. i am putting my life on the line to fight this deadly disease. and to dispel the myths that surround it. sickle cell is not witchcraft, it is not. it is something that we can solve. the abnormal red blood cells in my body affect my oxygen levels. one of the biggest problems with sickle cell is oxygen. like, if you don't have sufficient oxygen so you can only push your body via for a good number of days before you need to really rest. they were telling people, this girl has sickle cell... i'd been raising awareness about the devastating impact of sickle cell patients and families for years. i tried to help my fellow survivors. fresh green leafy vegetables... and advocate to the authorities to act. it is also a way for the government, the ministry to see that these people are a forgotten demographic in this country and the need to set up help and support infrastructure to be able to manage it. when i was younger i never knew what sickle cell was. i just knew sometimes my sisters would just wake up in pain at night. throughout my battle with sickle cell, my brother paul has always been my rock. now he is at my side again as i take on my biggest challenge yet. with my brother's help i plan to fight through my illness and run the nairobi half marathon. when it comes to sickle cell they are encouraged against getting tired. i also knew that when she bites into something, she doesn't let go. the marathon idea came... it came into my mind _ the marathon idea came... it came into my mind when _ the marathon idea came. .. it came into my mind when i _ the marathon idea came... it came into my mind when i was _ the marathon idea came... it came into my mind when i was like, - the marathon idea came. .. it came into my mind when i was like, i- the marathon idea came... it came. into my mind when i was like, i need to do something. i need to do something to physically show that i can do it, like someone with sickle cell can do it. my my doctor has cautioned against running the marathon. it will trigger a crisis and months of complications. but, iam determined to do it. not only for me, 80 million others suffer from this disease across africa. we have to believe. the other day, i was telling one of my sickle cell advocates in nigeria that i am doing the marathon, she was like, she was very upset. she said, no, sickle cell patients have this thing of saying they can do this, you cannot do a marathon. please, you cannot. so, of course i can. of course i can, andi so, of course i can. of course i can, and i will. so... yes. iwant to do that. i want to show her. because yes, i have a chip on my shoulder, but i want to live a normal life, i want to do the things i want to do, see where my body can stretch to. without snapping, of course. for my training, i am going back to my hometown. it is also the place where i think i can make the biggest difference for thousands of people living with the disease. here, almost one quarter of the population have the sickle cell gene. but, those living with the disease receive very little support. i join a local disease receive very little support. ijoin a local group as they prepare to march on a nearby hospital. and to march on a nearby hospital. and to demand better services for sickle cell patients. can we meet outside the office? we go to the local hospital to protest. albert is the leader of this group. like so many other parents of children with sickle cell, he has suffered from the stigma and poverty that surrounds the disease. but, he is determined to find a solution. singing albert was one of the first people i met, and he was one of the few who spoke to me. like, the passion, this is one of the few people who did not feel the shame or stigma of sickle cell. singing and know how distracting the myth surrounding sickle cell can be, especially in rural areas. a lot of communities, we attribute sickle cell to cases. witchcraft, this is a situation for any people in the community to form their own stories around them. so, i had to go and tell people that sickle cell is not witchcraft, it is not ancestral cases, it is something that we can solve. but slowly, things are beginning to change. i organised a meeting hoping that the community might come out. i need not have worried. whether the community behind us, albert and i decide to join forces and a power game. albert and i scour the community. we find more and more people that have sickle cell in their families. many of them are in dire need of medicine. i realise the full scale of the problem. and also, how desperately the people need access to quality, affordable care. the majority of people earn less than a dollar a day or $2 a day, and they cannot sacrifice the meal for the home to buy this expensive medicine. it is either the meal or the medicine. i'm getting my community to help with this. but, it is tiring work, and the marathon is only four weeks away. so, this is the terrain. today, i was able to run, but i ran for approximately 20 seconds. and, i had to stop, take a breath, relax, walk, then run again for 20 seconds. and yes, it was... it shows how unfair diane. like, iam and yes, it was... it shows how unfair diane. like, i am extremely unfit, but i working on that. my family has always been there to help me through my most difficult times. but, they too have their challenges. all my sisters have sickle cell. my older sister succumbed to sickle cell. isa is a sister who i lost, i never met her. she died before i was born. based on the way sickle cell... and the way that we live, it affected my sisters. i could see that it created a kind of environment. sickle cell has made me and my family stronger. but, as i prepare for the marathon, the warnings from my doctor keep playing on my mind. the doctors disagree with me about what i'm doing, running the marathon. essentially, iwill what i'm doing, running the marathon. essentially, i will be producing the oxygen, the functionality of my organs, risking things like strokes or like, something just obstructs somewhere and you just collapsed. as the day approaches, i am excited and determined.— approaches, i am excited and determined. . , ., determined. ladies and gentlemen, we would like to — determined. ladies and gentlemen, we would like to own _ determined. ladies and gentlemen, we would like to own your— determined. ladies and gentlemen, we would like to own your commute - determined. ladies and gentlemen, we would like to own your commute to - would like to own your commute to the 2018 nairobi international marathon. i the 2018 nairobi international marathon. . ., ., the 2018 nairobi international marathon. . ., marathon. i am feeling good at the startin: marathon. i am feeling good at the starting line-up. _ marathon. i am feeling good at the starting line-up. the _ marathon. i am feeling good at the starting line-up. the adrenaline i starting line—up. the adrenaline kicks in and i am all set. cheering after two kilometres, my body starts to give up. the sun is so hot. my breathing becomes laboured. ifeel like i am chained to a boulder. i have to keep going. my brother and friend both rush to support me. but, i cannot give up now. i have to reach the end. i tap into my energy deep down. and i somehow manage to push through. but, as i crossed the finish line, my body simply gave out. i felt faint, i could not catch my breath. this was everything my doctor and friends had warned me about. the end of the marathon was scary. and it could have cost me my life. but, it shows me that once i set my mind on something, there is nothing on earth that can stop me. i head back home with a renewed energy. i am determined to get sickle cell patients and families the support they deserve. and i decide to confront our member of county assembly. the governor promises his support. and i speak to as many officials as i can, hoping to drum up support for a specialist centre. thank you so much. finally, after yea rs of finally, after years of advocating, a special clinic for sickle cell patients is unveiled. cheering all the battles, all the obstacles, finally, we are here. cheering having a sickle cell clinic here is not easily done. having all of the community come together, for the entire country, is not a force to joke with. having passed through the struggle with us, these people here showed that we are not alone. i am not alone. we are not working alone. we are creating this, however long it will take, however hard the struggle, the lives lost, maybe some of us will not be here to see the future, but we must walk. 0k? thank you so much. for me, this new clinic isjust for me, this new clinic is just the beginning of my mission to improve the lives of all sickle cell patients and families, not only in kenya but all over africa. we are just getting started. this is not a marathon. it is not the one who is the winner, who runs the furthest, or who runs the fastest will win, this is a relay race. and me, i know that, i realise that this problem i will not solve in its entirety in my lifetime, and the person coming after me will be, you know, they will have it easier, and be able to take it even further. it is a beautiful morning in kenya, and we are doing ten kilometres. iam i am with my mum, she is ahead. so yes, we will be doing 10—10. 20 kilometres. i'm so excited, guys, look at that sunrise! it has been a brainy experience. we are all rat wet! he looks like he has been dipped in water! i have neverfelt has been dipped in water! i have never felt so much has been dipped in water! i have neverfelt so much rain in my life! that was an amazing experience! and, yes, so tired, we havejust finely finished ten kilometres. now, we are doing ten more. hello. we've got a september heat wave building over the next few days. lots of dry, sunny, very warm, if not hot weather with temperatures probably peaking wednesday, thursday into the low 30s in the very hottest parts of the country. now, looking at the weather picture today, we did start off with a bit of morning mist and fog that all cleared out of the way to reveal these blue and sunny skies. and it's been like that pretty much for the whole of the day. the exception has been the far north of scotland, where we have had some thicker cloud and that's been bringing few patches of rain to the hebrides, parts of highland, 0rkney and shetland as well. temperatures with that cloud and rain being a little bit suppressed across the far north of scotland. but otherwise it's been warm for the rest of scotland and northern ireland. england and wales, mid—to—high 20s for some now overnight tonight, we'll keep the clear skies going. again, there could be a few mist and fog patches developing later in the night with temperatures slowly drifting down to between 12 and 16 degrees for most of us. and the weather over the next few days is dominated by this area of high pressure that's overalljust to the east of the uk. and it's this that's going to be bringing us a long spell of dry, sunny, very warm, if not hot weather. now for the details on monday. mist and fog, patches clearing plenty of sunshine for the vast majority. a brighter day for the hebrides and the highlands. 0rkney, too. but shetland could continue to see some thicker cloud and occasional spots of rain. temperatures rising, probably mid 20s and the very warmest parts of scotland and northern ireland. but highs are set to hit about 27 into parts of england and wales. we've got more of that very warm, sunny weather to come on tuesday as well. probably some thicker cloud just for a time working across the northern isles. so probably bright if not sunny here. but for most of us, the sunshine back out in full force. and again, another very warm day. those temperatures are set to rise a bit further as we head towards the middle part of the week. but again, could see a bit of mist and fog first thing in the morning. the hottest weather towards eastern england where we could see temperatures on wednesday afternoon hitting 30 degrees celsius, which isn't too far away from the highest temperature of the year, which currently stands at 32.2. and the dry, sunny, very warm weather last for most of us into the first part of next weekend. probably a change on sunday with rain returning. live from london, this is bbc news. ukraine's military says it has managed to break through key russian defences near the south—eastern city of zaporizhzhia. headteachers in england race to find ways to reopen their schools — after being told to shut buildings made with unsafe lightweight concrete. a powerful typhoon has hit southern taiwan, the biggest storm to strike the island for four years, bringing heavy rain and winds of up to a hundred—and—ninety kilometres an hour. hello, and welcome to the programme. i'm frankie mccamley. ukraine's military says it's managed to break through key russian defences near the southeastern city of zaporizhzhia. general 0leksandr tarnavskyi told the observer newspaper that extensive minefields had blocked troops for several weeks, leaving them vulnerable to russian shellfire and drone attacks. but the general claimed that painstaking mine clearance work has now allowed his forces to advance, and they expect to face far weaker russian defences ahead. sources in the ukrainian army have confirmed the breakthrough to the bbc. how does it change the dynamics of the war? here is the take of an adviser to president zelensky — aleksander rodnya nsky.