A LOVING husband is making a marathon effort to thank the charity that helped save his wife's life after she was struck down by a life-threatening illness less than two months after their wedding.

Owen Rist will tackle the 26-mile London Marathon tomorrow in aid of the Anthony Nolan Trust, which arranged a vital bone marrow transplant for Nicola.

The couple, of Millbrook Road East, Southampton, were married in August last year but just weeks later Nicola, 22, was diagnosed with bone marrow disorder myelodysplasia.

Owen, 23, had just secured a new job as a healthcare assistant but gave it up to care for his wife full-time.

The couple were supported by the Anthony Nolan Trust, which arranged a vital bone marrow transplant for Nicola - although she did not need the operation in the end.

Now a grateful Owen is trying to raise £4,000 to say thank you.

He said: "It is a huge challenge to be running my first marathon in aid of the Anthony Nolan Trust. However watching my wife and best friend, who loves to windsurf and snowboard, become so weak she could barely feed herself was the challenge of a lifetime."

Nicola continued to deteriorate and by Christmas doctors were desperate.

She was too fragile for the transplant and the operation was cancelled twice as doctors feared she would not survive the procedure.

By the New Year the family were left with no option but to pray for Nicola's recovery as doctors continued to be baffled by her rapid decline.

Specialist neurologists suggested an auto immune disorder may be responsible. She was given intravenous drugs and doctors were hopeful the bone marrow condition was linked, meaning it could be treated in the same way.