A TEENAGER whose lung collapsed while jogging will run 10 miles for the charity that helped his late sister.


When Jago Hartland crosses the finish line of this year’s Morrisons Great South Run, the first thing on his mind will be his family’s battle with cystic fibrosis.


Jago, 17, is one of four siblings born with the disease. His older sister Poppy and brother Tadd are very ill and need regular medical attention and the condition claimed the life of another sister Millie who died aged eight before Jago was born.


During her short life, Millie was supported by the charity Starlight Foundation which makes the dreams of children with life-limiting conditions come true.


Jago, from Cirencester, will be among the 25,000 runners to take on the event on Sunday, October 25, which is marking its 25th year in Portsmouth.


“We have been told we have a mutant gene. We have been very unlucky," said Jago.


“If you have two parents with the same cystic fibrosis gene the chances are that one in four of your children will have it - we are just very unlucky.


“I have only just told my manager at work that I have cystic fibrosis. He was shocked because I do keep in good physical condition so I'm able to do these things.

“But I have physio for an hour every day and I carry an inhaler all the time. I spend 10 minutes using my inhaler to break down the mucous in my chest.


“I also do a lot of stretching. With cystic fibrosis it affects everyone differently, with me it’s my lungs more than anything.


When Jago was born he spent four months in hospital with a collapsed lung, a problem that he has had to deal with twice since.


“The second time was when I was 14, I was doing a running challenge and I pushed myself too hard. I got really wheezy and felt a sharp pain in my chest which at first felt like an asthma attack.


“My brother and sister are in a worse condition than me at the moment. My brother is on a number of antibiotics and has pancreatic problems which I don’t suffer as much from.”


Jago is completing his Duke of Edinburgh award and later this year will visit Vietnam and Cambodia as part of a world challenge programme.


“I'm going for runs five times a week and now that I've finished my exams I’m going to start running further distances.


“I have to keep on top of it. If I leave my training for just one week it’s the equivalent of a person without cystic fibrosis not training for a month.”