A nurse with a titanium jaw and a myriad of rare medical conditions is set to run the Oxford Half to inspire those going through something similar to not “give up hope”.
Toni Bull was given the nickname Titanium Toni – which she said perfectly “encompasses what I am now” – by one of her friends as she has two titanium jaw joints following years of issues including clicking and reduced movement, as well as countless medical appointments.
In March, her left jaw joint was removed and replaced with a titanium joint, while in February 2022, her right jaw joint was swapped out for a titanium joint at Harley Street Specialist Hospital, in London.
Ms Bull, who is 35 and lives in Buckinghamshire, was also diagnosed with a myriad of conditions in September 2023, including Raynaud’s – a condition which regularly leaves her with blue fingers and toes – and osteoarthritis in multiple joints.
She was also told she has two rare medical conditions – antiphospholipid syndrome, an autoimmune disorder in which the immune system mistakenly produces antibodies and attacks the normal proteins in the blood and hypermobility spectrum disorder, which has led her to suffer from severe migraines, fatigue and joint pain.
Despite her surgeries and conditions, she said she has always been a “positive, resilient person that makes the best out of what I’ve got” – and credits running with helping her through the past few years.
“I always say to people, if there comes a day when I can’t run or I’m told not to run, I’ll get in a chair and race,” Ms Bull told the PA news agency.
“I wouldn’t have started running if it wasn’t for my jaw.
“With my jaw, they put me on quite a lot of strong medication that can make you gain weight, so I thought, what can I do?
“I started doing couch to 5k and it really grew from that point because running became my outlet.
“Even when my jaw was really bad, I could still do a run, even if it was a slow 1-2km one.”
As she gears up for the Oxford Half on Sunday, she said she is going into it without any expectations, but looks forward to seeing her trusty “cheer squad” along the route, which consists of her son Noah, eight, her mother and stepfather.
“They come to every race with me and they are probably the loudest – but they really help me get through as well when I see them at various different points,” she said.
“So if you’re struggling, you see them and you think ‘I need to keep going’.”
Oxford holds a special place in Ms Bull’s heart, as her mother’s side of the family originally come from the city and she worked at a hospital there while doing her nursing training.
She runs a Facebook group called TMJ Disorder Support UK and has released a book documenting her medical journey called A Journey Through Temporomandibular Joint Replacement, to provide solace to those who can relate to her experience, as well as educating people about her conditions.
“People sometimes tell me it looks like there is nothing wrong with me, but they cannot always see the chronic pain, migraines, my freezing cold, painful hands, my arthritic joints, the titanium joint replacements and fatigue,” she said.
“If someone’s going through something similar, I would say to stay strong, stay focused, don’t give up hope.
“I want people to look at me running and think, ‘I can do it too’ – go at your own pace and do what you can do.
“It is great to have events like the Oxford Half which are so inclusive so that everyone – regardless of their ability or if they have health conditions – feel they can enter and run it.”
Entries for 2025’s Oxford Half will go on sale shortly after the race, and more information can be found on this link: https://www.oxfordhalf.com/
