A man from Eastleigh is on a mission to raise awareness of one of the world's rarest diseases that affects his mum.

Ollie Marshall, 25, is determined to shine a light on Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM), a condition that affects only 350 women in the UK.

His mum, Sally Carver, was diagnosed with LAM when Ollie was just two years old.

LAM is a disease where abnormal cells build up in the lungs, forming clusters and cysts that destroy healthy tissue and create holes, making breathing very difficult.

Ollie said: "My mum was diagnosed when I was two years old, so I’ve only ever grown up knowing my mum with this condition.

"She was only 38, a non-smoker, and lived an active life, so it was a shock to her when she got her diagnosis.

"She had to leave her job as a nurse, and there were times when she would have to rush to the hospital unexpectedly.

"It was difficult to navigate, especially as initially she was given about 10 years to live."

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The Howden Eastleigh team (Image: Howden Eastleigh)

There is no cure for LAM, and for most women, a lifetime of medication is needed to slow down the deterioration of the disease.

However, for some, a lung transplant is the only option, but this is still not a cure.

Sally said: "It started as chest pains and shortness of breath, so LAM patients are often misdiagnosed with asthma, but then I collapsed whilst pregnant in 2001 and was diagnosed three months after Ollie’s younger brother was born.

"There was no treatment until I was offered to start a trial drug in 2005 in Nottingham, where the UK LAM Action Centre for all patients is at the Queens Medical Centre.

"The drug slowed down the disease, and I’ve been on it ever since."

Ollie, an insurance consultant at Howden Eastleigh, and his colleagues will be having a dress-down day on February 28 to raise money for LAM Action, a charity that supports women with LAM.

John Chapman, client service manager at Howden Eastleigh, said: "At Howden, we’re big believers in being a force for good, and Ollie absolutely epitomises that."

Donations can be made here: howdengroupholdings.benevity.org/community/fundraiser/1368